Let Love Grow
by Ikuinen Talvi
Summary: When Matt Clearwater moves to Forks, Washington, he discovers the secrets of his people and gets to go through things that he never thought that he would. M/M pairing, Jacob/OC, don't like it, don't read it. Dedicated to Matt, Rich, and Seth.
1. Welcome To Forks

**I'm writing this story to honor a good person and to let his family know how much of an inspiration he was. Matt (also known as oh2beyoung) passed away not too long ago; as such, this is dedicated to him and to his family.**

XXX

My entire life, I'd lived away from the reservation where my family was. We'd lived in all of the states except for Washington, where my dad was from. He and his older brother Harry never got along, so we had always stayed away. All that I knew of my uncle's family was that he had a son my age and a daughter ready to graduate.

My father, Harold Clearwater, always told us that my uncle was good-for-nothing, and that it was only because of our grandparents that he'd been able to survive (living off of their money after they died). I thought that that was a load of crap. It was awful for him to talk that way about his only brother. But how should I know? I'd never met the man. And had no siblings. My mother, Katrina, was of the opinion that Harry was a good man, and his wife Sue, was a wonderful lady, and they'd both done good jobs raising their children. She just never shared her opinion with my dad.

So it came as a shock to us when we got a call from my aunt Sue that Harry had passed away suddenly from a heart attack. Despite everything that he'd ever said, my father actually broke into tears.

"I can't believe he's gone," He said.

So, within a week, we'd packed all of our stuff; my dad decided it was time we went to Washington.

But I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. Let me tell you about my life until then.

XXX

I was born in southern California while my parents were on vacation fifteen years ago. I'd always been very slim, but when I was born, they said I weighed less than any other baby in the hospital. So it came as no surprise when I went throughout all of my school years being the skinniest of the other boys. I had brown hair and brown eyes, like my father and mother before me, but because I was from the reservation, I got picked on for being a Native American and having 'red' skin.

I'd had a few friends over the years, most of which I was able to stay in touch with over the phone or through letters, but the latter was usually difficult because we'd move around so much.

The last school I was in before my uncle died, was in Phoenix, Arizona. The city was huge, there were so many people, I couldn't keep anyone straight. Not that I wanted to. I was too shy for my own good, never really speaking to anyone unless they spoke to me; but once I got to know someone, I could talk their heads off. I had my small group of friends – Heather, Liam, Rick, Sarah, and Tanya. We were the ones that always tried to make people feel better if they were having a bad day, but it was always so hard when you had thousands of kids at one location.

About a year ago, we said good bye to one of the members of our group, a girl named Bella. She was going to Forks, Washington to live with her father. We wished her luck, and told her to stay in touch. She never did.

The last few years, since I'd become a teenager and dad had given me "The Talk", I'd realized that I wanted nothing to do with girls – sexually of course. They weren't my cup of tea. I was interested in guys. And because of this revelation in my mind, it got harder and harder each day, and my parents pressed me to find a girl to take out or find a girlfriend. I didn't think they'd understand me either.

"What do you know about what you like?" My father would say. "You're young. It's just a phase," I was sure that he would say something along those lines.

Finally it got to be too much, and the year before we went to Washington, I told my friends at school. They were all happy that I'd come out of the closet, and they told me that if I ever got into any kind of trouble that I should go to them.

About a month after that had happened, my father told my mother and I at dinner one night that my cousin Seth had come out of the closet.

"And he tells Harry 'I'm the same person I was five seconds ago. The only difference is now you know that I like guys.' As if that makes it any better," Dad said.

"Well, whatever makes him happy," My mom said.

"Are you out of your mind?" My father asked. "All we need is a fucking fag in the family,"

I excused myself to my room after that sentence, unable to finish my dinner.

I took a shower and crawled in bed feeling sick to my stomach. I'd never heard my father's opinions on sexuality, but that pretty much took the cake.

The next morning, I went to school and told my friends that my cousin had come out, and what my dad had said.

"That's awful!" Heather said, brushing her long red hair behind an ear.

"If you need a place to stay, you can always crash at my house," Rick said.

"Thanks Rick. But I'm going to stay right where I am. What's the worst they can do?" I said.

XXX

Finally, we pulled up in our little Coup De Ville outside of my late uncle's house. I'd been stuck in the car for about two hours, so when I climbed out, my entire body was cramped. My mom criticized my clothing choice (light blue jean cutoffs and a white shirt with a purple rose on the shoulder), but I told her it was for comfort. And it was, in part; They were the most comfortable thing I owned.

After I stretched myself out and was able to look around, I saw three people looking at us from the door of the house, and I was surprised to see the oldest one (my aunt Sue apparently) hugging my dad. The other two must have been my cousins, Leah and Seth, my dad had told me. I'd only seen one picture of Harry, from when he and my father were young, but I thought Seth looked just like him, just as Leah seemed to be a spitting image of her mom.

Leah was wearing a pair of dark cut offs and a green tank top. She had short black hair pulled up and out of her face, and she looked mad at the world; I couldn't blame her though – after all, she'd just lost her father.

Seth was wearing faded light blue jean cutoffs like me, but his looked almost white due to the fade. He wore a simple white shirt, and I was surprised to see that he looked ripped. He had short black hair, and though he looked sad from his loss, I could tell that there was a spark in his eyes.

They walked towards me and I realized that I'd shoved my hands into my pockets.

"So, you must be Matthew," Leah said, and I heard a kind of snobby sound there.

"Matt, it's what I prefer," I said, and reached my hand out to take Leah's extended one, then switched to Seth.

"I'm glad your here. I need someone my age to talk to other than Collin and Brady," Seth said, a sheepish grin on his face.

"I'm glad to meet you," I said.

"Seth, will you show Matt to your room?" Sue asked, and Seth nodded.

"You're staying with us until you find a house," Seth said casually as I picked up my bag, a dark blue and black large suitcase.

"So of course, they're making you share a room with me," I said, seeing the grimace on Seth's face.

"It's not too bad I guess. It's just awkward, not having my own room,"

"Don't worry. I won't be too much of a nuisance. In fact, you won't even know I'm there," I said.

"Oh, I don't want that! I'd like to be good friends with you," Seth said.

"Well, I'll always be able to talk to you," I said.

A few moments later, we came to a stop outside of a door up the stairs and at the end of the hall. Seth opened the door and we walked into a huge room, with a desk against the wall, beside a dresser, a bookshelf, and a bed. There was a smaller futon at the foot of the bed with a nice stitched cover on it.

"Here we are," Seth said. "Home sweet home,"

I laid my suitcase on the futon and opened it, looking around to see where I could dump my bag and place my clothes.

"Oh, if your looking for clothes space, you can share the dresser with me. Top left is socks, top right is underwear, bottom left is shorts, and bottom right is shirts. Pants and long sleeves can go in the closet," He said, indicating a door on the opposite wall with a huge poster of a wolf on it.

Next to the wolf, there was a small picture of a guy I'd never seen before. He was a native, that was for sure, and he had short black hair, in the same style as Seth., though he was considerably bigger than Seth, and Seth was rather well muscled. I wondered who he was.

"Who's this, Seth?" I asked, indicating the picture as I walked into the closet to hang up my four pairs of pants and four long sleeves.

"That's my boyfriend," Seth said as he walked over to help me.

"What's his name?" I asked, a smile on my face.

"Paul," He said.

"That's nice," I said.

"Thanks," He said, and I saw him blush, and turn away from me.

"Look, I have nothing against gay guys. In fact, I _am_ gay," I said.

"Holy hell!" He shouted. "Seriously?"

"Yes, now shut up! My parents don't know, and I'd like to keep it that way," I said.

"Whoops, sorry," He said and started giggling.

XXX

Later that night at dinner, my dad let his thoughts get the better of him.

"So, Harry told me last month that you came out of the closet," My dad said looking at Seth over his cup.

"Did he?" Seth asked, and started picking at his plate of spaghetti, whereas before he'd been inhaling it.

"Yes. Yes he did. And I'm concerned as to why Sue has you rooming with my son because of that," He said.

"Dad!"

"Harold!"

My mother and I gasped those at the same time. Sue stood up to her full height, which honestly wasn't very much, as she and my mother were the same size, and they came up to my shoulders.

"I'll thank you to not judge me or my family Harold. They are your family too, whether you like it or not. Furthermore, my son has a boyfriend, and he is happy, which makes me happy. If you have a problem with your son rooming with mine, I suggest you ask Matt if he minds before you start bringing stuff like this to the families attention,"

"Fine then. Matt, do you have a problem sharing a room with a gay guy?" Dad asked.

I glared at him, and said something that I shouldn't have.

"No. No dad, I don't have a problem sharing a room with a gay guy. One, because he's my cousin. And two, because I'm gay as well,"

The room went deadly quiet, and then before I knew what was going on, my dad launched himself across the table and knocked both of us to the floor, food, drink, and dishes flying everywhere. He raised his fist and slammed it into my lower jaw just before he was dragged off of me by my mom, Sue, Leah, and Seth. Sue let go to grab a phone and dialed 9-1-1.

"Yes, my brother-in-law just attacked his son," I heard Sue saying, as my dad screamed in rage and glared at me, and then said:

"You, you filthy little fag, are no son of mine,"

I burst into tears and pulled my knees up around my chest, burying my face into them.

About five minutes later, sirens wailed in the air and I felt hands pulling me into embraces and rubbing or patting me soothingly, but all I could hear was the repeating sounds of my father's final words to me.


	2. Rescue

Later that night, after my dad had been taken away by the police and I was able to calm down and help clean up the mess that had been made, Seth insisted that I sleep in his bed that night. I was still shaking from the incident earlier, and Seth wanted me to be as comfortable as possible.

"Take it," Seth said after I tried to protest.

"OK," I said finally giving in and collapsing on the bed.

I laid there for what seemed to be forever when Seth's door opened and my mom walked in. She laid a cool rag across my forehead and smoothed my hair back.

"That was brave of you, to tell him," She said, and I saw her smile at me.

"It was stupid," I said, but I couldn't help smiling either.

"I'm glad you said something. To think, we've been pushing you after girls this entire time!" She said smiling.

"Thanks mom," I said.

"Sleep well Matt. I love you,"

"Love you too," I said as I drifted off to sleep.

My dreams that night were full of my dad's face and final words, and I sat up shaking and pouring sweat, the covers on the bed thrown off to the side. I looked towards the futon, hoping Seth was there, but he wasn't. I wondered why, especially since the clock said it was 3:00 in the morning.

I slowly got to my feet and walked down the hall to the bathroom, where I splashed cold water on my face and drank some of it.

I looked at my face in the mirror and just behind me, I saw Leah's reflection, looking worried.

"You OK?" She asked, walking in and laying a hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah. Just a nightmare," I said, looking around at her. She looked like she'd been up for two days straight, and she was wearing another pair of cutoffs and a new tank top. "You been out?" I asked.

"Yes, just went for a run. I do it when I can't sleep," She said.

"Seen Seth? He wasn't in the room," I said sleepily and we started walking back towards the room.

"He probably went to the kitchen. He eats like crazy," She said as I opened the door.

"There he is," Leah said pointing to the futon. I nodded sleepily and laid down, knocking out before Leah even left the room.

XXX

The next morning, I was aroused early, around seven o'clock in the morning, by Seth.

"Wake up sleeping beauty. Time for school,"

"Nnnghh," I moaned and turned over, burying my face in the pillow. The next thing I knew, I was being carried with my arms crossed in front of my chest as Seth picked me up and carried me into the bathroom.

"I said to wake up," He said laughing.

"It's not fair! How on _earth_ are you so big and strong when we're the same age and I'm so tiny?" I said exasperatedly, before catching sight of myself in the mirror. My hair was in a mess. Talk about a rough night. I had purple shadows under my eyes, and it looked like I could sleep for another day and a half.

"How should I know?" Seth asked in a mocking tone.

"Oh shut up. Throw me a towel would you? I need to take a shower,"

After I showered and made sense of my tangled mess of hair, I got dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans and a gray v-neck, then I headed down stairs, following the smell of a promising breakfast.

"Good morning Matt," Sue said as I stepped into the kitchen, and she handed me a plate loaded with bacon, eggs, and pancakes.

"Morning Aunt Sue," I said, gratefully taking the plate and sitting at the table where Seth and Leah were already sitting. I noticed that both of their plates were considerably bigger than mine, and I wondered how on earth they were able to eat so much.

About ten minutes later, I was out the door with Seth walking to school.

"Wow, talk about rushing the morning. I'm not a morning person," I said.

"You get used to it," Seth laughed.

"Whatever," I said and started laughing too. I couldn't remember the last time I'd had a good laugh before that.

"Seth!" Someone shouted from behind us, and when I turned around, I saw the boy from the picture on Seth's wall. Paul, his boyfriend.

"Hey Paul. This is my cousin Matt," Seth said before kissing Paul.

"Hey Matt. Nice to meet you," Paul said, before looping his arm with Seth's.

"The feeling is mutual," I said, smiling at their happiness.

"Seth, there's Jacob, Embry, and Quil. Let's head over there," Paul said, motioning with his head towards a small group of three walking a bit ahead of us.

I walked slightly behind them, stuffed my hands into my pockets and put my head down. I was too shy for my own good sometimes.

"Hey guys," Seth called as we caught them up.

"Hey Seth, Paul," One of them said.

"Who's that?" Another asked.

"Oh, right, this is my cousin Matt. Matt, this is Quil, Embry, and Jacob," He said, indicating that the two who had spoken had been Embry and Quil, and the one that had yet to speak was Jacob.

"So you're the one-" Quil was silenced by a nudge in the ribs by Embry.

"He means so you're the one that Seth's been talking about coming home," Embry said.

I smiled, though I didn't look up from the ground.

"Yeah, I am," I said.

"Well, welcome home," Quil said, and I heard a slight chuckle from the one that hadn't spoken yet – Jacob.

"Come on, before we're late," He said.

I fell back a bit, hoping to get some time to myself before I got to school. I looked up a bit, seeing random things, like Jacob, Embry, and Quil shoving each other around a bit, sometimes seeing a half of a smile on one of them, other times catching sight of their butts, other times seeing a quick kiss between Seth and Paul.

"Hey, so how are you liking the rez so far?" Someone asked me just before we walked into the school, and I realized that Jacob had fallen back next to me.

"Oh, good I guess, I've only been here for one day," I said, keeping my eyes trained on the ground in front of me.

"I'm sure you'll like it. Everyone here is usually nice, minus the one or two idiots, and I know that we'll all look out for you," He said.

"Thanks," I said.

"Well, here we are," Jacob said, and I found myself standing there with him, Seth, and Paul.

"We'll see you two later," Paul said, giving Seth a quick kiss before heading off with Jacob, who I think may have left slightly reluctantly.

"Dude," Seth said as we started walking towards whatever class we had. Seth and I had all of our classes together, thankfully.

"What?" I asked, focusing on my steps as we entered the class room. Blah. Geometry.

"I think Jake likes you," Seth whispered in my ear before taking a seat. I blushed and walked up to the teacher, who gave me a text book and an assignment.

"I don't think so," I said as I sat next to him.

"I do," Seth said smugly.

"He's not even gay or bi though, is he?" I asked.

"As far as I know, he's never been with a guy," Seth said, but his attention was caught by two of his friends, which he introduced to me as Collin and Brady.

The rest of the day was spent in the same fashion. New class, new book, new work, homework assignments, follow Seth to the next class, eat lunch, etc. Lunch was a strange affair that first day though. Seth's friends Collin and Brady sat with us, and so did Jacob, Paul, Embry, Quil and Jared, one of Seth's other friends. I was surprised to see how many people Seth knew. He was so friendly, I had to admit I was a bit jealous.

"So, how's your day going?" Jacob asked as I sat there picking at my little salad. Everyone else had their plates loaded down with pizza and fries; typical greasy, heart-attack-inducing school food.

"Long. I can't stand geometry. The teacher's terrible," I said.

"I know how you feel. If you want, I can come over and tutor you. I'm actually pretty good at geometry," He said.

"Thanks," I said, and I decided I would pluck up the courage to actually look at him.

I looked up, seeing his beautiful russet skin against his shiny black hair, his warm brown eyes sparkling. Wait. His eyes were sparkling? Whoa... what was that feeling? I felt like I was being sucked into his eyes, they were so deep and beautiful...

"Matt? Jake? Hello?" Someone said, waving their hand in front of my eyes and breaking whatever had held me there.

"W-What?" I said startled, looking around to find the entire table looking at us.

"It looked like you two were having some kind of staring contest," Seth said, shrugging. "Anyway, they wanted to know how you were liking school,"

"Oh. Good. I mean, I like it," I said, turning back to my salad, which seemed a bit too green after looking into those chocolate brown eyes.

At the end of lunch, I got all of the guys' numbers, and started typing them away into my phone, before sending out a mass message to them with my name in it so that they could save my number. On my way to my final class of the day, Jacob sent me a text.

_Hey, how're you?_

I smiled to myself and sent back:

_Good, I'm off to biology. Talk about killer._

I found a seat in the back of the room with Seth, Collin, and Brady, who just happened to be one person short, got my text book from the teacher, and went back to my seat just when Jacob replied to my message.

_I'm glad you're good. Blegh, I never did like biology. When do you want to get together to study for geometry?_

I thought that seemed a little fast so I told him I'd have to let him know, and then tried to focus on what the teacher was talking about, but unfortunately for me, I'd already done this in Phoenix.

The class passed by slowly and at the end of the day, I followed Seth, Collin, and Brady out to the parking lot.

"Hey, we're gonna run over to a friend's house, so I'll see you later," Seth told me, before taking off with the other two.

I sighed and started the trek towards the Clearwater house. I should have kept my eyes up instead of down for once, because I would have seen what was coming. A car pulled up next to me and whoever was in the passenger seat threw the door open, causing me to fall over and scrape my knees.

"Hey, look here," Whoever had opened the door said. I heard the engine cut off and the other door open before they both closed.

I pushed myself up and wheeled around to face whoever was there but I doubled over as one of them punched me in the stomach, causing me to cough and splutter as I attempted to catch some air.

"It's the new little Clearwater faggot," One of them said.

"I think he needs to learn that Washington, especially our reservation, has no room for outsiders or fags," The other said.

I felt more blows raining down on my back and head before I heard something that made my heart stop for a few moments before causing it to race.

"HEY! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Jacob screamed, and I pushed myself as far away from the altercation without running as I could, watching as Jacob punched his way through both of the guys and as they crawled into the car and sped away.

"J-Jacob?" I stuttered, pinching my blood nose.

"Matt! Oh my God, are you OK?" He asked, picking me up under my knees and my arms.

"I'm hurting and my nose is bleeding, I scraped my knees, but I'm OK," I said, leaning my head against his chest, wondering why his skin was so hot, but I assumed it was because he'd just been in the fight.

"Who were they?" I asked, worried.

"Percy and Jack, the school's biggest idiots," Jacob said as he carried me towards the house.

"They didn't hurt you, did they?" I asked worriedly.

"No, don't worry, I'm OK," He said and then we reached the house and he placed me on the front porch.

"Thanks. Really. I appreciate it a lot," I said smiling at him.

"You're welcome. I don't think that those jerks will be after you much anymore. I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" He asked me.

"Yeah. Bye Jake," I said smiling before turning around.

"Bye Matt," He said.


	3. Fortune Cookie Fortunes

**Xadamjackson13: Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying it. :)**

XXX

Later that night, Seth came barreling into the room and as his eyes landed on me, he relaxed.

"Oh my God, are you OK?" He asked me before heading over to my side on the futon.

"I'm fine. Luckily for me, Jake found us before things got too serious. I just got a bloody nose, scraped my knees, and got a few bruises. Nothing to worry about," I said, but he gathered me into a hug.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen," He said.

"What are you talking about? It's not your fault they attacked me," I said confused, but I hugged him back all the same.

"Yes it is. I should have walked you home before I headed to Sam's," Seth said worriedly.

"Is that what you're going on about?" I asked, then smiled and patted his arm. "Seth, it's OK. It's not your fault. I should have been paying more attention myself,"

"Are you sure you're not mad?" Seth asked, looking at me.

"It's fine," I said, smiling encouragingly.

He sighed and then sat next to me on the futon and then fell back on it.

"Tired?" I asked, wondering what they had been up to while at this Sam guy's house.

"Yeah. You have no idea," He said.

"I bet you're hungry too," I said, then laughed. Seth was always hungry.

"Yes, I am," He said.

"Well, I know our mom are out for the night, and I haven't seen Leah all day. How about we order pizza?" I asked, reaching for my cell.

"Sounds good. I'll call in. Oh, and Jake asked for you to text him when I got home," Seth said, smiling at me.

"Thanks Seth. Now, go order that pizza," I said, then turned to my phone. I'd just started typing out a text to send, when my phone started ringing in my hands. It startled me at first, so it dropped out of my hand and hit the floor.

"Crap," I said, then reached down and pressed the answer button. "Hello?"

"Matt?" Jake asked.

"Hey Jake. What's up?" I said.

"Just wanted to make sure that you had a good rest of the day. And to make sure you were OK from that incident earlier," He said.

"Thanks for asking, I'm great actually," I said, smiling even though he couldn't see it.

"Good. So hey, I was wondering if you wanted to go out and do something tonight?" He asked.

"Oh, tonight? I think Seth was ordering pizza, and both of our mom's are out," I said.

"Oh don't worry about that. Seth could eat two pizzas by himself. And as for your mom's, just have Seth say something or leave a note for them," He said, and I could hear the hopeful sound in his voice.

"Oh... OK," I said, "Hold on a sec,"

I put the phone down and headed to the door of the room and stuck my head out.

"Seth?" I hollered, who stuck his head out of the kitchen door with a phone to his ear.

"Jake asked me to go out and do something tonight, so tell mom, and I'm sorry about the last minute thing," I called down.

He gave me a wink and then mouthed "Don't worry, and have fun,"

"Thanks," I said and headed back to my room to pick up the phone.

"Hey Jake, I'm good to go. When can I expect you to be here?" I asked.

"I'll be there in five," He said, and I could hear how excited he was. I smiled to myself.

"OK, see you soon," I said and then hung up.

I ran to the closet and picked out a nice deep blue shirt and a pair of jet black pants. I got changed and had enough time to brush my hair and teeth when there was a honk outside, and I flew down the stairs and out the door, where I composed myself enough to walk down to the motorcycle, which made my eyes widen. I loved motorcycles.

Jake was sitting on top of it, dressed in a pair of light blue jeans and a tight white shirt, outlining his muscles. I jerked my eyes up so that he wouldn't catch me looking, and I saw him smiling at me, his bright white smile against his lips.

"Hey," He said.

"Hi. Wow, is this yours?" I asked motioning to the motorcycle.

"Yeah. You like them?" He asked.

I nodded. It was gorgeous, with its sky-blue and chrome paint scheme and it's black seats. He revved the engine and I smiled at the purr.

"Come on, get on then," He said, laughing at my expression.

I swung my leg over the bike and pulled on the helmet, then wrapped my arms around Jake's midsection. He revved the engine again before taking off down the road.

We were flying. I wasn't sure how fast we were going, but I loved it. I wrapped my arms tighter around Jake's waist and when we slowed to a stop, my eyes opened to see that we were in front of a movie theater. I wondered what he had in mind, but I didn't question him as he bought two tickets while I got a bag of popcorn and two drinks.

He came to meet me, and I thought I saw a frown on his face when he saw that I'd gotten two drinks, but it was gone as soon as it showed up, so I guessed it was a figment of my imagination or maybe a trick of the light. I followed him to the theater number seven, and I was happy to see that we were going to see _Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End_. I'd been wanting to see it and it made me smile.

I didn't remember much of the movie though. The entire time, I was aware of the fact that my hand kept bumping with Jacob's in the pop corn bag, or how he seemed to wanting to say or do something that he was stopping himself from doing. I reached out to grab my drink and as I took a sip, I felt something lay gingerly across the back of my chair. As I settled back in, I realized it was his arm.

I smiled and laid my head back onto his bicep while watching the movie as it closed to an end.

"That was great Jake. Thanks a lot," I said smiling as we walked out of the theater and to the motorcycle.

"No problem. Hey, are you hungry?" He asked as we climbed onto the bike.

"Yes actually. Have anywhere in mind?" I asked.

"Yep. What're you in the mood for?"

"Chinese," I said.

Five minutes later, we pulled up outside of this quaint little Chinese restaurant called Saruka's. The front had a picture of a dragon and a cute baby panda on it, next to a large neon sign that said OPEN in blinking letters.

When we went in, a short Asian woman with her black hair tied up and wearing very airy clothes showed us to a booth, took our drink orders, and then handed us the menus.

"Wow, this place is nice," I said, admiring the interior.

"Look at the menu," Jake said laughing, while reading his own.

"May I take your order?" The woman asked, appearing out of nowhere and startling me.

"Oh, um... I think I'll take the lobster," I said, indicating a lobster dish that was baked with cheese and served with a side of fried rice, an egg roll, and a sweet-n-spicy ginger dipping sauce.

"I'll have the same," Jake said, handing her our menus.

"So is this always what you had in mind when it came to 'doing something'"? I asked Jacob, sipping on my Coke.

"Well, it was what I'd planned for the night," He said smiling.

"You sure do know how to give somebody a good night," I said.

"I tried my best. To make you happy, I mean,"

"Well, you did a good job of it. I'm very happy right now,"

"Really?"

"Really," I said and smiled.

About fifteen minutes later, the waitress came back with our food and then walked away to leave us to our meal.

The food was delicious, and I ate it in about twenty minutes. Jacob finished his about five minutes before I did and paid the woman while I opened my fortune cookie.

_That which you least expect lays right around the bend._

I frowned at the fortune and then crumbled it up, stuffing the cookie into my mouth.

I never saw Jake open his.

XXX

The end of the night was great. I sighed contentedly as Jake drove us back to the house.

My night out with Jake was almost over. I smiled as I thought about the night's events. The movie, the dinner. Jacob had really outdone himself. The engine cut out as we pulled into the driveway and the nocturnal silence blanketed itself over us.

Jacob walked with me to the front door and I turned around to look at him. He was so gorgeous and wonderful.

"I hope you really did have a good night tonight," He said smiling at me.

"I did. I hope you enjoyed yourself," I said, smiling back.

"I did. I'm happy just being around you," He said. I thought I saw something flash in his eyes – panic maybe – but it disappeared almost as fast as I thought I'd seen it. Like the frown at the theater.

"Awe, that's sweet," I said, but I know he heard the change in my mood, because even I heard it.

"What's the matter?" He asked, his eyebrows creasing.

"What? Oh, nothing. Just a figment of my imagination," I said, attempting to smile.

"You can tell me," He said.

"Oh.. OK, so why did you frown at the theater earlier, and what was that little light of panic in your eyes a few seconds ago?" I asked, the words pouring out.

"W-what?" He asked startled, before breaking into a laugh. "Matt, are you worried that I don't like you?" He asked me.

"I-" I started but then I stopped, and his laughter died off instantly.

"I frowned because I thought you'd have liked to share a drink with me. The guys told me how much you seem interested in me. And the small glimmer of panic – that was because I was afraid that you wouldn't like me," He said, and my eyes widened. It all made sense now!

"Matt, I have a question for you," He said.

"OK?" I asked, in almost a whisper. He came closer to me, and he reached out and took my hands in his.

"Matt, I haven't known you for very long. Only about a day really. But I like you a lot. You're really sweet and nice, and I think you're amazing. Will you be my boyfriend?"

The silence seemed to carry on indefinitely in my mind. It seemed that time had frozen for me, his face beaming and blushing at the same time, making him absolutely adorable.

I was just about to answer; my mouth opened and everything, when suddenly the door flew open. Jacob dropped my hands immediately and I jerked around to find Seth at the door, my mom looking over his shoulder curiously.

"Well, are you two just going to stand out there all night or are you going to invite Jacob inside?" My mom said, turning around and walking down the hallway and into the kitchen.

My face was on fire, and behind me, I could feel tension building between Jacob and I as I walked into the house and shut the door behind us.

"Let's go up to my room," Seth said smiling, and as I began to follow him, hearing Jacob's feet falling heavily as he dragged himself up the stairs, obviously feeling rejected, I stopped and turned around. I placed both of my hands on either side of his face and brought his eyes up to meet mine.

"Yes," I said smiling.


	4. Monster

**Xadamjackson13: Thank you. And but of course :)**

**Much love and hugs,**

**Matthew**

XXX

I smiled as I sat next to Jacob on the futon in mine and Seth's room. He'd taken me completely by surprise, but I was very happy all the same.

"So, how was your night?" Seth asked me as he rifled through some papers on his desk.

"Amazing," I said, and I saw Jacob wink at me.

"Oh? And why was it so amazing?" Seth asked, smiling at us briefly before sitting on the bed.

"Well..." I started, but Jake cut me off.

"I asked him to be my boyfriend," He said, and I thought Seth had a heart attack right then; he let out a really loud yelp and jumped over the bed and grabbed me into a crushing hug.

"Oh, congrats!" He said enthusiastically.

"Thanks Seth, but you're crushing me," I said laughing.

Seth let me go and then hugged Jacob too before sitting down.

"Well, that'll make things at Sam's interesting. Two gay couples," Seth said nodding to himself.

"Will we be going over to Sam's often?" I asked, thinking of Embry and Quil and Jared and Paul, then there was Seth and Jacob too. They were all so... manly. It made me laugh at my own joke. So much testosterone. I thought that if I had to go over there, I'd spend time with Leah while Jake goofed off with the others.

"Every day, almost," Seth said, and then I saw him shoot Jacob a look, but it was fleeting and very fast.

"Hey, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you kids have school tomorrow," My mom said as she walked by the room. I sighed and I heard Jake groan.

"Text me when you get home? I want to make sure that you get there OK," I said.

"OK, I will don't worry," He said, and then reached his arms around me and he gave me a hug. He was so gentle. I smiled and walked him down to the front door.

"Night Jake. I'll see you in the morning," I said.

"Night Matt. I'll see you," He said. I stood in the doorway and watched until the tail light of his bike turned the corner and I could no longer see him.

I went back up the stairs and brushed my teeth before climbing onto the futon when my phone buzzed next to me.

_Hey, I just got home_ Jake's message said.

_Good. Thanks for letting me know. Night Jake :)_

_G'night. _He sent back. I fell asleep with no nightmares but daydreams about Jacob Black.

XXX

The next morning, I could hardly wait to get going. If Seth hadn't have hurried up, I would have left without him.

"Someone's an eager beaver," Mom said as I shouldered my bag.

"Just someone to meet this morning," I said.

"Oh, did you meet a guy?" She asked looking curious.

"Yes. Jacob Black. He asked me out last night," I said and I laughed as her jaw dropped open into a silent 'O'.

"Wow," She said after a few moments.

"Thanks mom," I said smiling.

"Well, here comes Seth. Get to it!" She said before turning back into the kitchen.

I was fidgety that morning. I kept wanting to burst into a run, but Seth was deliberately walking slowly. It was irritating me.

"Come on!" I said impatiently.

"Oh calm down," Seth said and smiled at me.

I turned back around to look where I was going and ran face-first into a white, button-up-shirted chest.

"Oh crap, sorry!" I said, quickly backing up.

"It's OK," I heard Jacob's voice say, and when I looked up, he was smiling down at me. "Morning," He said.

"Hi," I said, and I smiled.

We walked together the rest of the morning and he escorted me to class.

"Have a good day. I'll see you at lunch," He said. I smiled as I turned to go into class.

XXX

When lunch finally arrived, I was ready to bolt to the cafeteria, but I remained moving very slowly as Seth took his sweet time. I picked out a chicken sandwich and some fries, plus a little container of peaches and a orange juice, and headed over to our deserted lunch table. Seth and I sat down and the table slowly filled up, but Jake was missing.

"Hey, where's Jacob?" I asked worriedly. He did say he would see me for lunch after all.

"Over there," Embry said, nodding his head to a table across cafeteria. He was sitting alone and a smile was on his lips as I caught his eyes.

"See you later," I said to the others as I grabbed my tray and headed over to where Jacob was sitting.

"Hey," He said as I sat down across from him, smiling as large as ever.

"Hey. Feel like having some alone time?" I asked him as I bit into my sandwich.

"Maybe," Jake said, smiling at me.

"So, how's your day going?" I asked.

"Boring. I can't concentrate in class. I've been thinking about you all day," He said, and I blushed.

"Awe, well I've been thinking about you too," I said before moving on to my peaches. Was it just me or was I actually eating faster than usual?

"Do you want to come over to Sam's today?" Jake asked me as I finished off the last of my peaches and stood to throw the tray away.

"As long as I get to spend time with you," I said smiling.

XXX

"Hey, come on," Jake said in my ear as I stood with Seth, Collin, and Brady in the parking lot.

I jumped really hard when I heard him, because he'd sneaked up behind me. Seth, Collin, and Brady sniggered to themselves as I blushed deeply.

"Are we walking?" I asked, hoping to get on the bike again.

"No, we're taking the bike," He said pulling me to it.

"Good," I said smiling to myself.

When we got to the bike, there was a bunch of sticky notes attached to it, and I saw a few of them with words like 'fag' or 'gay-wad' or 'freak' written on them.

"What the hell?" I asked picking up one that said 'fucking fagot' on it.

"Don't worry about it. It's nothing. It's the way that those guys that beat you up are trying to get back at me," He said, grabbing each of them and wadding them up into a ball before throwing it into a trash can near by.

"We should have told the principal," I said shaking my head and my eyebrows creased.

"Hey," He said, lifting my chin with his thumb and forefinger so that I would have to look at him. "It's OK. I don't give a fuck," He said.

"OK," I said, and he smiled at me. Then he swung his leg over the motorcycle and patted the seat behind him. I climbed on as he started the engine and we raced off down the streets, passing Seth, Collin, and Brady, who all waved.

Eventually, Jacob pulled the bike into the drive of a huge house next to a big white truck. The bike looked like a moped next to that thing, but Jake was smiling all the same. He reached around to take my helmet, and as he put it away, I latched onto his hand. I intertwined our fingers and my heart rate sped up. What if this Sam guy didn't like me?

"You OK?" He asked me, and I could tell by his tone that he was surprised by the hand-holding.

"Yeah," I said, but it came out more like a whisper, my words being carried away like the wind sweeping the branches of the weeping willow tree next to us.

"What's wrong?" He asked me, his eyebrows creasing with worry.

"Nothing. Just thinking... what if Sam doesn't like me?" I asked, and I knew it sounded stupid.

"It'll be fine. He likes everyone. I promise," He said, and gave my hand an encouraging squeeze.

"Thanks," I said and smiled at him.

Then I let him lead me down the path and into the house.

"Hey, I'm here!" Jake called as we passed through the door frame. "Listen, Emily, Sam's fiancée, don't stare at her. It makes things uncomfortable," He said. I wondered why I would stare, but then a woman walked around the corner of a hallway and I saw what he was talking about.

Emily was a beautiful woman. She had really long shiny black hair, and her face was kind, but on one side, there were a few terrible scars that ran the length of her face, meeting her lips and causing one side to frown into a grimace.

"Jacob," She said smiling. "And this must be Matt," She said looking at me. "Hi there. I'm Emily," She said.

"Um, hey," I said confused. He'd talked about me here?

"Well, are you two hungry? I'll have dinner ready in about five, and by then the other's should be here," Emily said turning back into the kitchen.

"Good, I'm starving," Jake said before sinking down onto a couch. I sat down next to him gingerly, but I snuggled into his side.

"Hey there," I said, looking up into his eyes.

"Well hello Mr. Clearwater. What can I do for you?" He asked in an awful attempt at a British accent. I laughed and gazed at him. He was so sweet. I smiled and leaned against his shoulder, but he shifted so I had to look up. When I looked at him, I wasn't expecting what I saw – Jake's lips moved in close and the next thing I knew, we were kissing.

He had a very sensual touch. He was soft, but yet he was firm too. Not shaking like I was. My fingers reached up and entangled themselves in his short hair, pulling him closer to me. I felt his lips part for a second and then I felt his tongue run along my bottom lip and I shuddered.

"Hey!" Someone shouted as they walked through the door. I jumped so hard, I thought I would get whiplash.

"Sam!" Jacob said looking around my shoulder.

"Jake. Is this Matt?" He asked and I nodded tentatively. He gave me a warm smile and reached out a hand.

"Name's Sam. Glad to meet you," He said.

"And I'm... well, you already know, but I'm Matt," I said, and both he and Jake laughed. I let go of his hand just as the other guys arrived, each of them nodding or smiling at me in recognition that I was there. But then two girls showed up: Leah, and a girl that I didn't know.

"Matt?" Leah asked me, and then she gave me a hug and a smile. "Have a good day?" She asked.

"Yeah. You?" I asked.

"Good enough. Oh, this is Kim, Jared's girlfriend," Leah said. I smiled and said hello while Jake and Leah disappeared into the kitchen. I decided to follow them and when I got in, my nose was assaulted by the amazing smell of a huge dinner.

"Dig in boys. And Leah and Kim," Emily said smiling.

XXX

That night as everyone sat around smiling and joking around, I sat next to Jacob, holding his hand and feeling happy. Seth had called to say that I would be spending the day at Sam's like he and Leah usually did.

"So, you know the legends right?" Sam asked me from where he was seated with Emily.

"Legends?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, about the Quileutes," He said.

"Um... That's us right? Our people?" I asked, and I heard laughter from around the room except for from Seth and Leah, who knew why I asked.

"Yes, that's correct," Sam said smiling.

"Um, nope. My parent's never told me anything of the sort," I said.

"OK, so according to legend, our ancestors were descendants of wolves," Sam said.

"Wow, really?" I asked sitting up. This actually interested me.

"Yes. And the legend isn't legend. It's actuality," Sam said.

I looked at him as though he were stupid, but I realized the entire room had gone quiet and serious. I kept waiting for one of them to start laughing and say "Gotcha!", but no one did.

"You're serious," I said, letting go of Jake's hand and wrapping my arms around my legs.

"Very. We can show you," Sam said. "Pack. Outside," He ordered, and everyone but me, Emily, and Kim got up.

"OK, come on," Sam said, looking at all of us. I got up and joined Emily and Kim, and we followed the others go out to the back yard.

"Keep your eyes peeled," Sam said. Then without warning, all of them twitched and the next thing I knew, I was standing in front of a bunch of giant wolves. I screamed and then passed out.

XXX

Well, I thought I did. But the next thing I knew, I was staring down at the ground in front of me, and my hands had changed in front of my eyes. In place of my russet skin, I'd sprouted snow white hair my hands morphed into paws. I let out another scream, but the only thing that I heard was a whine. I looked around me, seeing everything in amazing detail. But there was something wrong. I could hear something. Annoying buzzing. Until I focused in on it, and I realized that I could hear all of their voices. The other wolves.

_Dear God, he's a wolf... Well, that was fast... Never thought that the trait got carried to Uncle Harold..._

And then there were the most urgent on trying to get my attention:

_Matt! Oh no, are you OK?... He's so scared, everything is overwhelming him..._

I shook my head violently and my ears pressed against my skull. I took in all of the wolves looking at me with interest and I ran to the right. I bolted. Everything seemed so much slower to me. The woods flew past me. Nothing could stop me. I had to get away. I was a monster.


	5. Afraid

**Xadamjackson13: Here ya go then :)**

XXX

Terror. I was afraid. My legs tore through the woods and I had no clue where I was. I did know that I was moving so fast that wherever I had ended up, it was snowing and I was blending in with my surroundings. I found a small area surrounded by snow covered trees and I laid down, using my paws to cover my face and nose.

I stayed there for what seemed like hours before I heard noises of approach, and I was immediately on my legs, my face contorting into a snarl and I let out a growl.

_Whoa Matt, it's me Jacob_, a huge russet colored wolf said, and my ears flattened against my skull. I knew it was Jacob because I could recognize the flavor of his voice. But I was still afraid.

_Jacob! What the hell!_ I shouted mentally, before turning and pacing back and forth, wearing a path into the snow-covered ground.

_Matt, I know this is strange, but please calm down_, Sam's voice said in my mind.

_I'm a frikking wolf and you want me to calm down?_ I said, and I let out the equivalent of a wolf's laugh. It sounded like I was barking.

_Please_. Sam said, and I sighed and sat down, looking at my white paws.

_We were hoping you would have more time, but the shock of seeing all of us phase at once was probably too much to handle._ Sam said, and I let out another laugh.

_You think?_ I said, and then I leaned forward until my head was laying on my paws.

_So the entire reason that I was showing you this was to not only prepare you for the wolf you might become, but to also let you know about the link that you and Jacob share._ That got my attention. Our link?

_When you looked at Jacob's eyes for the first time, you felt as though you were being sucked into something right?_ Sam asked and I nodded.

_When a wolf meets the eyes of someone that fate chooses to be their mate, whether to make them a stronger wolf or to improve the chances of carrying on the wolf-trait, they feel the bond that you felt. This is called Imprinting. Essentially, the wolf that Imprints does everything in his or her power to make the Imprintee happy. The Imprinting wolf can be anything that the Imprint needs, whether it's a best friend, a brother, or more commonly, a mate._

I launched myself to my feet. Was that the only reason that Jacob was with me? Because he was drawn to me by fate? Jacob had no say in whether or not he wanted me. I was shattered.

_So this entire time, I've only been with Jacob because he had no choice,_ I said, making it a statement rather than a question.

_Matt... Don't look at it that way...,_ Jacob said, and I winced at the sound of his voice.

_How can I not?_ I said, before looking off into the distance, not looking at him or Sam.

_I know you're hurt. But think of this for the better,_ Sam urged, but I wasn't listening.

_Just leave me alone. Please,_ I said, and then I ran past them. I was gone again – like a bolt of lightning. They couldn't catch me. I was too fast. I wouldn't be going home that night. I didn't know where I would be going. But it certainly wouldn't be back to La Push.

I stopped running when I entered the limits of the town of Forks, next to Washington. I remembered that Seth told me that there was a girl here, one that Jacob had supposedly been obsessed with before meeting me. I wondered if she could help me. At all. I thought of myself as a human, and the next thing I knew, I was crouched on all fours, naked.

I looked around and found myself in the middle of nowhere, next to the "Welcome to the town of Forks" sign. I heard a noise behind me, and when I looked, I saw two people – a girl and a guy – getting it on. I sighed in disgust before looking around me and finding a pair of jeans. They would work well enough.

I began jogging through the town until I found the diner. I walked in and the cashier looked like she was going to have a heart attack.

"Listen, I'm looking for an old friend's house. I think her name is Bella Swan?" I asked.

"Oh. Right. Chief Swan's daughter. Up the street, take a left, third house on the right," She said and I saw her face relax as I walked out of the diner, but she picked up a phone and dialed a number. I realized that I could hear her through the door, so I listened on the other end.

"Chief Swan? Yes, a teenage boy with no shirt just came in asking for directions to you house. Says that he knows Bella... Yes I told him. He'll be there soon,"

I headed off and then came to the front door. Right as I started to knock, the door was flung open and a man with curly black hair stood there, looking curious, but serious.

"Chief Swan?" I asked, and I heard my voice quiver.

"Yes." He said, and I could tell by the sound of his voice that he wasn't accustomed to having shirtless guys throwing themselves on his doorstep.

"Please, can I see your daughter, Bella? It's important. I'm a friend of... Jacob Black's," I had to force his name out of my throat.

"Oh... Jacob... What's wrong? Is he OK?" He asked me, his eyebrows creasing.

"No, he's fine. Can I please speak to Bella?" I asked, and I heard someone walking down the carpeted stairs. How did I know that they were carpeted?

"Dad, who's asking for me?" A girl said, and I mentally rolled my eyes at the melancholic tone in her voice.

"Some kid that knows Jacob," Chief Swan said.

"Well let him in. Don't just let him freeze," Bella said.

"Bells, he's wearing a pair of jeans and no shirt or shoes," he said.

"All the more reason to let him in," Bella said, but I heard a slight moment of hesitation in her voice. Did she possibly know about the wolves?

"Fine," The man stepped aside and then went into a door to the right of the hall.

"Hi," I said, and I could tell that she was surprised.

"Hello," Bella said. "Are you new to the pack?"

"Um... somewhat," I said, and I saw her eyes narrow.

"Is something wrong with Jake?" She asked, and I shook my head no.

"Well, I don't think so. He's probably upset with me, but I don't care right now," I said, and her eyes narrowed even further. "I'm Matt Clearwater, by the way," I said.

"Clearwater? You related to Seth and Leah?" She asked.

"Yes. I'm their cousin," I said.

"Why would Jacob be upset?"

"Well... I just found out about the wolves earlier. And it shocked me so bad that I changed myself. Then I took off. And Sam explained about Imprinting, and I thought Jacob actually liked me and..." I started crying at that point and I told her everything. Eventually, she came to my side and placed me in a hug while I cried my eyes out like a baby.

"Shh," She said, and somehow, when I was able to take in my surroundings, we'd moved up the stairs and were in a bedroom.

"And the sad part is, I didn't even look at Jacob before taking off. I was just so hurt," I said, and hiccuped.

"Oh Matt. I'm so sorry. I didn't know that he'd Imprinted on you. I'm surprised he didn't bring you to meet me," She said, and then patted my hand.

"Do you mind if I stay here for the night? I have a feeling that they're searching for me, and I don't think they'd look for me here." I said, and she nodded, before going to tell her father.

A few moments later, I was situated on the couch in Bella's living room with a sheet around me and a pillow under my head.

"You'll be fine here for the night," Bella said, before hugging me and going up the stairs.

That night I had nightmares.

XXX

The next morning, I woke up with the sheet twisted around my legs and I had a terrible headache.

"Morning," I said, as I walked into the kitchen, finding Bella eating a bowl of cereal.

"Good morning. Sleep well?" She asked, and I shook my head.

"Nightmares," I said, and she nodded sympathetically. "Thanks, for letting me stay here," I said.

"No problem. So, what do you think you're going to do about Jacob?" She asked.

"I don't know. I mean, I want to be with him, but not because fate has decreed it," I said, and sat down next to her.

"Well, I do know that the bond of an Imprint isn't one that you can take lightly. It physically hurts you to be away from the object of Imprinting for too long," She said, and got up to wash her bowl.

"Really?" I asked, interested now.

"Yeah, Jacob explained it to me once," She said, sitting back down.

"Interesting. So it actually hurts you to be away from the person that you Imprint on?" I asked, and she nodded.

"Don't use that against him though. It might kill him. I've seen how it is between Seth and Paul, Jared and Kim, and Sam and Emily. It's painful," She said.

"Shit, they're all Imprinted?" I asked exasperatedly.

"Yes," She said, before laying a hand on my shoulder.

"Bella?" I said, looking up at her.

"Yeah?" She asked.

"Thanks," I said before standing up. She stood too, and I gave her a hug, but just as I was pulling away, I heard a growl and my nose was filled with a sickeningly sweet smell.

"Edward!" Bella said smiling. She walked over to this extremely pale guy with golden eyes. I didn't know who he was, but he stunk something awful.

He chuckled as though he knew what I was thinking before opening his mouth.

"Yes, I know I smell bad to your wolf nose. But let me assure you, you stink just as bad. And yes, I know what you're thinking. I read minds," He said, sounding rather bored.

"Um... OK?" I asked, thoroughly confused.

"Matt, this is my boyfriend Edward," Bella said. "Edward, this is Matt, Jacob's Imprint," She said, and I saw Edward's mouth lift into a grin.

"So Jacob Imprinted?" He asked me, and I nodded, though I knew he knew the entire story. I hadn't stopped thinking about it for a single moment.

"In case you're wondering, Edward is a vampire," Bella said, smiling sheepishly at me.

"Oh. As in like, you drink human blood?" I asked, my nose wrinkling.

"As in the same creature, yes, but I drink animal blood. My whole family does. It's more sophisticated. Allows us to be more... humane," He said. I smiled. I liked this guy, despite the whole drinking blood to live thing.

"So, what do you plan to do about Jacob?" He asked me, and I frowned.

"I honestly have no idea," I said, and I heard him chuckle. "Well, he's right outside, if you want to confront him," Edward said.

My stomach clenched as I walked to the door.


	6. Bonding

"There you are," He said as I opened the door, and I looked down at the floor. Then I heard him sniff.

"Damn it. The bloodsucker's here," He said.

"Bloodsucker? You mean Edward?" I asked, and I heard him let out a harsh laugh.

"Matt, that's what we exist for. To kill the vampires. But we can't touch them because of the treaty. That's another part of our legends," He said.

"Jacob, I can't believe you didn't introduce us earlier," Bella said walking around the corner, but I heard Edward murmur something along the lines of 'we'd better not disturb them Bella'. They walked up the stairs and disappeared, leaving me standing in the Swan's doorway and Jacob on the front porch.

"I was worried when you disappeared like that," Jacob said.

"Because of your Imprint," I murmured, and I felt the atmosphere grow heavy.

"Matt..." He said, but I interrupted him.

"Did you like me? Before the Imprint?" I asked quickly.

"I... I didn't know who you were," Jacob said, and my eyes suddenly stung with tears.

"So you didn't like me. I knew that of course. That's the reason I ran you know," I said, and my voice was shaking, my eyes no longer able to contain the tears, my head hanging.

"Matt. You don't understand. I meant that I didn't like you for who you were. I liked you because of how you looked. But after we started talking, and before the Imprint occurred, I did start to like you because of who you were," He said, and I felt his hesitation before placing a hand on my shoulder. I didn't move, and the tears kept coming.

"You're an amazing person. I would have gone out with you with or without the Imprint," He said, and for some reason, I believed him. The last night had made no sense to me and I was feeling a little crazy, but I believed him. He was so honest, his words so true to him.

"I believe you," I said, and then I collapsed against him and started crying. I felt so bad for making him worry.

"Shh," He said, moving us into the house, and shutting the door. I stood there, locked in his warm embrace, my tears cascading down my face. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I regained my composure.

I leaned against him for a few moments longer before standing up and let go of him. I still hadn't looked at him, and to be honest, I didn't want to. I felt that I would start crying if I looked him in the eyes.

"Thanks Jake," I said, smiling sheepishly.

"Not a problem," He said, and I could tell that he was glad that I was feeling better.

"Can you go? I want to walk home. I need to be alone for a while. I'm sorry," I said, and I heard him inhale deeply. I knew it would hurt him, but I needed to be away from everything.

"Yes, I'll go," He said after a few moments hesitation.

"And tell Seth and Leah to stay away will you?" I asked, and he said that he would. Moments later, I was out the door, going in the opposite direction that I'd started and towards Forks. About an hour later I made it to the reservation and into the house. I climbed up to my room and laid down on the futon, passing out just as soon as my head touched the pillow.

XXX

My dreams quickly turned into nightmares. I was convulsing on the ground in a forest, changing from human to wolf, and back again. Then I would see Jacob running towards me before falling over in pain and becoming a wolf, looking at me with large sorrowful eyes. I tried to run to him, but I was stuck in between the change to a wolf. I was a horrible half-breed. I watched as Jacob turned and ran away from me, the monster...

XXX

I jumped up, shouting and sweating. I felt crazy, like I was about to lose myself. It was ten PM if my clock told me anything. I quickly opened the window in Seth's room and climbed out of it, landing on the ground smoothly. I crouched there in the night air, feeling the cooling wind on my burning skin. Everything was so different. I was still being plagued by the sight of Jacob running away from me...

Then it happened.

I hunched forward and the world changed and warped for a few seconds, then I was standing on all fours, my body now changed into the snow white wolf.

My mind was assaulted as I heard the thoughts of the other wolves immediately.

_Insanity. I can't believe he's pushing you away._

_It's not his fault. He's just scared. _That was Jacob. I recognized his flavor.

_And he hasn't looked Jake in the eye since he changed._ Seth. I knew his too.

I listened some more as my feet began to run. I could tell where they were, pulling the images from Jacob's mind. I sensed the others too, but I couldn't tell which was which. I was surprised that they hadn't realized that I was there yet. Of course, they were used to having each other for company, so a new mind wouldn't be as prevalent.

That was when they noticed.

_Hey guys. He's here._ That was Leah, I could tell from her thoughts.

_What? Who?_

_Matt. He's coming._

_Matt? Matt! Oh thank goodness, you're OK!_

_Yeah, I'm on the way. Just... be quiet for a second would you? I'm still a bit overwhelmed here._ I said, my legs pounding the ground below me, and in a few moments, I arrived in the same area as the other wolves, all of them looking at me.

_OK. I'm here. Now what?_ I asked, and each of the wolves shifted on their haunches, some standing, others looking away from me. There was one that particularly caught my attention. He was huge, russet colored and beautiful, but he wasn't looking at me. Then I realized who it was.

_Jake?_ I asked, my mental voice layered with worry.

He nodded his wolfy head but he didn't look up.

_Well?_ I asked again.

_Well what? _That was Sam. I recognized the tone of his voice from when he'd chased me down with Jacob earlier.

_Well, what happens now?_

_Now we wait. There's only one thing going on, but you're not involved with it._

_What? What do you mean I'm not involved? I'm a member of this pack right? Then I'm a part of what ever is going on._

_Matt, you just changed yesterday. You're too young. Younger than Seth, Collin, and Brady, and they've been with us for a month now._

_I think if he wants to know so bad we should just tell him._ That was a voice I didn't recognize.

_Paul..._ That was Seth. So this big gray one was Paul?

_Why not? After all, it will allow him to decide if he wants to run with us or not. You're not gonna force him, are you Sam? And if Jake's memories are right, he didn't have a problem with the Cullen earlier._

_Enough Paul._ Sam's voice changed dramatically and it sounded almost like two people speaking. I wondered what it was before Sam caught my attention.

_Listen. There is a particularly nasty vampire named Victoria who happens to be after Bella Swan – the human you were with earlier. Her mate, the vampire Edward, killed Victoria's mate, a tracker named James. According to Edward's sister, Alice, Victoria has mounted an attack of sorts, and the leader Carlisle has come to the conclusion that there is an army of newborns at large in Seattle._

_What? _I said, my mind reeling. We were going to kill a large amount of vampires? For simply existing?

_I know, it's hard to conceive that we're killing something for existing,_ Sam thought. _But it's what we exist for. Jacob explained to you earlier._

_I can't justify killing a creature for simply existing. _I said, my thought bounding loudly through the minds of the other wolves.

_These newborns are not like the vampire you met today. They have blood-red eyes and they kill insanely large amounts of people to satiate their thirst. They're uncontrollable. _Sam said.

I sat down on my haunches and looked down at my paws. I now saw why they were to kill the newborns. They were to protect the humans of La Push and Forks. Newborns and other vampires alike killed when they ate.

_Now you see._ Sam said, and then he turned to the others. _We're going to meet with the Cullen's tomorrow night to watch them practice. They have one among them, named Jasper, who is particularly inept when dealing with newborns. We will watch and learn._

Slowly, the rest of the wolves began to disperse and the only ones left were myself, Sam, Jacob, Seth, and Leah. Just before they left, Embry and Quil had rubbed shoulders with Jacob in an attempt at making him feel better. Seth and Leah did the same to me before they left.

_Matt... I'm going to leave you here with Jacob. Try to sort things out would you?_ Sam said, before walking through the clearing and disappearing.

After what seemed about ten long minutes, I heard Jacob move and I looked up to see him phase into a human again, then he pulled on a pair of cutoffs, but after looking in my direction, he must have realized that I had nothing to wear, so he took them off and phased back again.

_Jacob... I'm sorry._ I said when he phased back again.

_I am too, Matt. We shouldn't have pushed things onto you like that. I was just so happy to be with you... It wasn't just the Imprint. I generally loved being with you even before I Imprinted._

_Jacob?_

_Yeah?_

_Thank you. For understanding. _I said even though I was still looking at my paws, my mind knew that he was nodding.

_It's OK. I promise,_ He said, and I smiled my wolfish grin. _You look gorgeous as a wolf you know._

_Thanks,_ I said, and I let out a laugh.

Then, without thinking about anything else, my eyes slipped up and into the warm chocolate brown eyes of the russet wolf before me, and suddenly, I lost all sense of things around me. Everything was gone. It was like I was being held to the Earth by Jacob. Nothing else mattered. Nothing else could take precedence. Jacob was my one, my only, my existence.

_Jacob?_ I asked when I regained my senses.

_Yes? _He asked me, looking at me with intensity.

_I think I just Imprinted_. I said.


	7. Feel For You

For some reason, I'd had the thought of hating Jacob for something that was completely out of his control. For some reason, I wanted to blame him for the fact that I was a human-wolf-thing. But I knew I couldn't. And finally, after the Imprint, I realized that there was no reason for me to hate Jacob. Just as he had explained, it was possible for one to like someone, regardless of whether or not they had Imprinted. I found this to be true, and I also found that the Imprint made us stronger together.

We encouraged one another, loved one another, looked out for one another. All of this I discovered while running patrol. That and pushing him gently out of the way when one of the vampires threw the other into a tree next to where Jacob was standing when we went to watch and learn about newborns.

So I eventually had to face a question: was I in the wrong before? For running away and not wishing to see Jacob? I realized that I was, but when I tried to apologize, Jacob brushed me off.

"It's fine. You were forgiven the moment it happened. Stuff that happens when you change for the first time is generally beyond your control. You were scared and out of your mind. You had no idea what was going on. It's OK. I promise,"

So now, here I was, the only wolf in Sam's pack left out of the newborn struggle at Sam's house with Kim, Emily, and Quil's Imprint, baby Claire. And I was going out of my mind.

"Matt, you need to relax," Emily said, laying a hand on my shoulder and I crossed my arms.

"I should be there. They need me. At least for support," I said, and she frowned.

"You're just worried. We all are; even Claire," She pointed to the toddler who was looking out of the window expectantly, as though she expected Quil to come flying up the driveway any moment, arms wide open calling for his "Claire-bear". I sighed.

Then suddenly, as I sat there watching Claire, something jolted through my chest, and I pressed a hand over where my heart was.

"OH!" I shouted, and I sprang out of my chair.

"Matt? What's wrong?" Emily said, looking worried.

"Somethings wrong with... Jacob!" I shouted, then I ran to the door, wrenched it open, and I started running. In five seconds, my body transformed into my wolf, and I was a white blur on the horizon. I shouted out mentally, begging for someone to answer me, when I finally heard Sam.

_Matt! Stay at the house!_

_No! There's something wrong with Jake!_

_What do you mean, something wrong with Jake?_

_He's _NOT WITH YOU? I shouted incredulously, and I shot my mind out, probing to find Jacob, but he wasn't in his wolf form. _He hasn't phased. Where the hell is he Sam?_

Then Sam said something which made me lose my mind.

_I don't know._

I came to a close stop, spewing gravel yards ahead of me and the next thing I knew, I let out a howl. It was a long, mournful note. Then without warning, I took off, my paws flying through the woods around me. I crossed a river, something I really didn't notice as I flew over it, and then my nose was assaulted by the sickly sweet smell of vampires. Of death.

I flew past a clearing, but stopped and looked back through the trees. There, in front of me, were my pack and the Cullens, standing resolutely, and gazing into the direction of the woods, facing away from me.

I shook my head and took off again, flying through the area, sniffing, using all of my senses to propel myself forward and to search for Jacob.

Then I found a trace of wolf. Seth.

_SETH! _I shouted, my mind's voice screaming and mixing with my wolf's bark.

_Matt? What the hell are you doing up here?_ He asked.

_I felt something. Jake's in trouble._

_No he's not. He's in this tent with Bella and Edward trying to keep Bella warm so that she doesn't freeze._

_Where the hell are you?_ I asked, and then my mind was shown pictures of the area, and I realized that I was on the opposite side of the mountain from them, because I'd already passed them once.

_I'll be there in ten,_ I said, then took off, my limbs moving fiercely.

I came flying into the small clearing, with Seth standing there grinning at me in his sandy-haired wolf, and the small tent sitting beside him. I could tell from the small lights inside that there were three people inside, and I knew from my enhanced sense of scent that Bella, Edward, and Jacob were all in the tent.

I let out a small whine, and then I heard Jacob say:

"I'll be right back. Don't worry,"

_Told you he's OK,_ Seth said in my mind.

_Shut it._ I said.

Jacob exited the tent quickly, zipping it up just as he stepped out, and I sat back on my haunches, waiting for him to realize that I was there.

"What's the matter, Seth?" He asked, and I let out a wolfy laugh. He'd thought the whine was Seth rather than me, and he turned around at the laugh, but his eyes bulged as they landed on me.

"Matt! Damn it, what the hell are you doing here?" He shouted, and I cringed slightly. But then, he phased and my mind was assaulted by thoughts of worry and concern and slight anger at my being there.

_Jake... Jacob... JACOB!_ I said, finally pulling him to my attention.

_W-what?_ He asked slightly startled by my break into his consciousness.

_I came because I felt something... It was like, you'd gotten hurt or something, and I had to make sure that you were OK. I phased at Sam's, hoping you'd be changed, but you weren't, and Sam said that he didn't know where you were, and I was freaking out. I'm sorry._ I said, my mind's voice rushing to get everything out before he could interrupt me again.

_Matt..._ He said, and I watched as his large russet wolf walked towards me, then stopped right in front of me and nuzzled my head. I leaned against his wolf, needed the slight support. All the running had finally gotten to me. I might have been the fastest, but I did have my limits.

"Jacob, I hate to interrupt your slight reunion, but I'm afraid that Bella is freezing to death in here," Edwards voice said, and I looked up and grinned at him.

"Oh, hello Matt," He said smiling.

_Don't worry Jake. I'll stay here with Seth. I'm not leaving unless you force me to; I need to know that you're OK,_ I said, and I could tell that he understood what I meant.

_Fine. Just... don't do anything stupid._

He quickly phased back, placing on a pair of shorts, and walked back into the tent, disappearing behind the canvas and zipping it up. I heard Bella's slight moan of delight as Jacob's warmth filled her up, and I growled a little, slightly jealous.

Then I heard Edward laugh. "Matt's jealous of Bella,"

_Am not,_ I said, but I knew it was true.

"Don't worry Matt. We'll have plenty of time to be together later," I heard Jacob's voice, and I just knew that he had a smile on his face.

I fell asleep soon after that.

XXX

I was jolted awake by the mental scream of Sam:

WAKE UP! GET SETH AND JAKE UP NOW!

I jumped up and nudged Seth with my head, but he'd heard Sam's scream too, so he woke up quickly. I headed over to the tent, which was hard to see thanks to the sunlight glaring off of the snow around us, but I let out a loud bark, and I heard Edward saying:

"Jacob! You need to get up! Sam needs you!"

"Wha?" He asked, then he came to his senses and barreled out of the tent as fast as he could without tearing the structure down.

He phased quickly, and took off. I heard him tell Seth to stay put and stay with Edward and Bella, but there was no thought telling me what to do. I decided to follow him.

We'd made it half way down the mountain before he realized I was there, and he wheeled around, causing me to crash into him, and we stumbled down the mountain a bit more before we came to a sudden stop.

_Go back to Seth,_ He said, and I shook my head.

_I can't. I have to be with you. There's something that's making me stay with you._

_It's the Imprint. But I have to keep you safe. If you got hurt..._

_No Jacob. If _you_ got hurt, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. You're stronger than I am. Just think of me as... your guardian for the day._ I smiled at how ironic that was. Jacob was older, stronger, and more powerful than I was. He heard my thoughts on the subject as well and smiled grimly.

_Fine, if you insist on staying..._

_I do._

_Come on then._

I followed him quickly, and we entered the clearing, finding the Cullens and the wolves in the same places that I saw them in yesterday.

_We're here,_ Jacob said, and the wolves wheeled around at the word "we're". The Cullens looked around but otherwise showed no form of shock or emotion as two other wolves joined the clearing.

_Good, Jake. Matt, go back to Seth._ Sam said. I looked at Jacob, and his eyes were shining. Time for me to stand up.

_No Sam. I can't. Something is making me stay, to ensure that Jacob is safe. The only way I'm going back to Seth is if you force me._

_What? You're defying your Alpha? You can't do that Matt._

_I can if it could mean the difference between the life and death of my Imprint._

_Fine_. He snarled. _Just stay out of the way of the fight._

And so we waited. But for only five minutes.

Then they came. There were so many. I was scared out of my mind. So many newborns. I felt bad. I couldn't kill an innocent being. I didn't care if it _was_ a vampire. I stood behind and watched as they were torn apart left and right, and I cringed multiple times. Then I saw something that changed how I was seeing one particular newborn. It was closing in on Jacob, and he didn't know. _My Jacob._

_JAKE!_ I screamed and took off at a breakneck speed, just pushing him out of the way quickly enough. The newborn saw that its target had changed so it wrapped its arms around my body – something Jasper had told us to _not_ let happen. I let out a mix between a whine and a yelp as it crushed my ribs and my forelegs. I felt the newborn ripped off of my back and I gasped as I fell forward onto the grass, my legs pinned in front of me.

_Oh God! Matt! Matt!_ Jacob screamed and I heard the others telling him to go and get Carlisle, but he was out of it. I screamed his name like I'd done before to get his attention.

_JACOB! Get Carlisle!_ I shouted into his mind, and with eyes of fear, he couldn't move. If he left, I'd be unprotected. Then something happened. Jasper – the one that was sensitive to feelings – must have realized the situation. Carlisle appeared just then.

I phased quickly and screamed as my human senses took over.

"Ribs and my arms!" I screamed with my head still on the side and my arms pinned under me.

"It's okay, I'll reset them, but you'll have to try to be careful," Carlisle said hurriedly, and then before I knew it, the doctor's cold hands were on my body, carefully rolling me over, and then, he re-broke my arms and my ribs. I let out another painful scream as he looked around, then ripped up some trees and planked my sides and my arms.

Then, after about ten seconds, the doctor had me scooped up and deposited behind Esme, who was harboring a patient of her own. I looked over to see the face of a scared-looking newborn. But she didn't just look scared. She looked out of her mind. Her eyes wheeled towards me and then pinched her nose.

"She's surrendered," Esme explained to Carlisle quickly. He gave a curt nod and then took off to the other areas where he was needed.

I clenched my teeth as I felt my bones starting to mend. That was something I'd learned about being a wolf. You got super hot, and you healed a hell of a lot faster than you did when you were a human.

Slowly, the fighting died out and there were fires every where as the Cullen's burned the remains of the newborns, save for the girl behind Esme, who told me that her name was Bree.

Jacob, who had phased, came over to my side and fell to his knees. He placed a hand on my forehead, and I tried to give him a smile. It came out as a grimace.

"Told you I felt something," I said, and then I passed out.


	8. I Love You

**OK, so to all of my readers and reviewers: Thanks so much for reading. I hope you're enjoying it so far :) There's some rated M material in this chapter (OK, maybe not a little :P), so if you don't like it, don't read it.**

XXX

I came to about an hour later, lying in bed with cloth splints around my arms, which were feeling much better, and my ribs no longer hurting. I became aware next that I was very warm and that someone was lying next to me. I looked up and found Jacob lying there, his eyes closed and a worried expression on his face. I looked at the window, and found that it was dark out. The clock on the nightstand flashing 9:30. I pushed myself up a bit and looked at him; he didn't budge, but his eyes flew open, gazing down at me.

"Hey," I said, and then I gave him a small kiss.

"Hey," He said, and kissed me back. I smiled into the kiss and flipped myself around, throwing one knee over so that I had each leg on either side of him. "Whoa there, don't get ahead of yourself. Carlisle said that you'd be broken for about an hour," Jake said, and made to push me off, but I grabbed his hands with my own and held them back.

"Don't. My arms and ribs are much better now," I smiled and kissed him again, and I gasped as his hands made from mine and down my bag to my butt, grabbing each cheek and squeezing. The gasp allowed his tongue access to my mouth and I pulled it in and sucked on it, and I heard him moan a bit. I move my away from his mouth and kissed his neck. One of his hands moved up and twined in my hair and I let out a moan. I reached down and pulled his shirt hem up, running a hand under his shirt and over his abs. I'd seen them before, thanks to the phasing, but it was an entirely new experience to feel him and see him in the privacy of a room.

I quickly worked the shirt up enough to where he had to sit up so that I could remove the cloth from his body. He began working on the useless splints on my sides and arms, and I gave him enough time to remove them before I returned to his chest, taking the right nipple into my mouth and running my tongue over it, playfully biting it once before going to the left one.

"Mm, Matt," Jacob said as I started kissing down his stomach and paused to dip my tongue into his naval.

"Yes?" I asked, hesitating as I reached down, my hands hovering over his cutoffs.

"You sure you wanna do this?" He asked, but I gave him a confused look, so he pulled me back up to his side. "Are you sure you're ready for... this?" He asked, indicating our raging bulges, which I'd only just become aware of.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I asked, my eyebrows creasing.

"I just want to be sure," He said, smoothing back my creased brow with his thumb.

"I am," I said.

"OK," He said, and he did something I didn't expect. He flipped me under him and moved down to my waist, quickly unbuttoning the cutoffs and flinging both them and the boxers underneath across the room. They hit the wall, and I became aware that we weren't in my house or in Sam's. We must've been at Jacob's.

My hands moved down shakily to undo Jacob's shorts, but I couldn't get them undone fast enough.

"Help?" I said, chewing my bottom lip, and he laughed, smiling at me as he undid his shorts. I hugged him to me as he flung his clothes to the other side of the room and he kissed my neck, moving down slowly, grazing my skin with his teeth lightly. My fingers twined themselves in his hair as he moved down my stomach and I nearly gasped when his tongue touched my head. I shivered as he licked.

"Oh God, Jake," I whispered but it turned into a moan as he started sucking. His tongue swirled around me, teasing, pulling, releasing. I would come any moment now, and I pulled his hair to get him off – I was sure that he wouldn't want to taste me yet, but he put up a finger, telling me to stay where I was. About a moment later, he gave one long hard pull, and I burst into his mouth. He kept his mouth on me until I stopped and went a bit limp. He looked up at me and swallowed before smiling at me.

"M-my turn," I said, maneuvering us so that he was under me now. I returned to where I had been before he'd brought me up to his side, and I tentatively brought him into my mouth. He groaned at my touch and his fingers wound through my hair, his body beginning to thrust against the movement of my mouth on him. I played with him, teasing him until he was arching his hips.

He came about two minutes later, my mouth still holding him. I swallowed everything down and smiled gigantically at him.

The next thing I knew, I was lying under him again, my legs leaning against him and both of our raging erections bobbed between us. He reached over to grab something from the nightstand, and when I looked up, it was a bottle of lube.

"Sorry, no condom," He said, but I smiled.

"That's fine. I was going to tell you not to use one anyway," I said, my body starting to shake with anticipation.

I watched as he slicked himself down with lube and then groaned as his fingers entered me. First then second, scissoring his way through me, loosening my muscles up so that he could enter without hurting me. It felt so good. Then his fingers left and I felt something harder and larger press against me.

Then my body stopped shaking. This was what I'd been waiting for. He was my world, my Imprint, the love of my life. I wasn't nervous. I was just ready to experience ultimate ecstasy.

Slowly, Jacob pushed himself into, a little further, pause, a little further, pause, until he was all the way in me. I moaned in delight as he started a rhythm of pulling back then pushing forward. My hands found his and our fingers interlocked. I gazed up at him, our eyes staring back at each other.

"I love you," I said.

"I love you more," He said.

"I don't think that's possible," I told him.

"I do," He said and then we both came, as he slammed his dick into my prostrate. My body shook violently as I shot my load up onto my stomach and I sighed in pleasure as I felt his warmth enter my body.

He slowly laid himself down next to me, and wrapped his arms around me, our bodies fitting perfectly. I smiled at him as he held me. He was my everything.

"Oh God Jake," I said, burying my face into his chest. "That was amazing. I loved it. I love you," I said, and I heard him breathing and his heart beating, going so fast, it was amazing that it didn't fly out of his chest.

"I love you," He said.

I fell asleep in his arms, feeling warm, protected, and happy.

XXX

I woke up to an empty bed at eleven the next morning. I sniffed the air, smelling something like eggs frying. I sat up slowly and smiled to myself. I was so happy from the night before, and I'm sure my euphoria was being shared by Jacob.

I stood up slowly, and walked to the wall where Jake had thrown my cutoffs the night before, and reached down, pulling them onto my body. I walked out of his room and down the hall, using my nose to guide me to the kitchen. I walked in to find Jake busying himself at the stove, and a man sitting in a wheelchair at the table, drinking coffee and reading the paper. I put two and two together, realizing this must have been Jacob's father, Billy.

"Good morning," Jake said, beaming at me as I stood in the doorway, feeling a bit awkward. Did Billy know that we were Imprints?

"Morning," I said, smiling tentatively at him.

"Ah, so you're Matt. I wondered when I would get to meet my son's Imprint," Billy said putting down his paper and stuck a hand out at me.

"Hi Mr. Black," I said, and he smiled at me and let out a chuckle.

"Call me Billy," He said, and I sat down in a chair next to him.

"Jake told me what happened to you at the fight yesterday. I'm sorry that happened. Do you feel better?" He asked, and I nodded. "Good. I'd imagine you're starving. Jacob, bring this boy some food before he passes out," Billy said, and Jacob turned around, setting a plate of omelet on the table.

"Yum," I said smiling, and digging in.

I finished in a minute, a record by my standards, and smiled at Jacob's mouth, which had dropped into a small 'o'. Usually he was the one to finish before anyone else.

"Well, I told you he was hungry," Billy said shrugging and wheeled himself to the sink. "You kids got anything planned?" He asked, and I looked at Jacob, a slight idea forming in my mind. I knew what I wanted to do today. It wasn't going to be very pleasant, but I wanted to do it.

"Yes sir, we do," I said, and stood up.

"Well, you two have fun. Jacob, I'll see you when I see you," Billy said, then wheeled himself down the hall and into his room.

"What do you have in mind?" Jacob asked me, wrapping his arms around my waist and putting his head on top of mine. He was still so much taller than me.

"I need you to take me home, let me get changed, then I'll tell you where I need to go before we do anything else," I told him. He raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. He walked to his room and put on a pair of jeans and a white shirt, then drove me home.

I changed into a pair of light blue jeans and a dark blue shirt, then brushed through my hair. I walked back out and climbed onto the motorcycle, and wrapped my arms around his waist.

"So, where to?" Jacob asked, placing his hands on the handles.

"I need you to take me to the jail," I said, and I felt his body tense next to mine.

"Why?" He asked after a moments hesitation.

"I need to talk to my father," I said, and he nodded, and then kicked the bike onto the road, though he did it reluctantly.

XXX

"What can I do you two for?" A curly headed black lady with the name tag Sgt. Swells written on it asked as Jacob and I walked into the jail house. Her face was questioning, but she didn't seem accusatory.

"I need to talk to my father please. Harold Clearwater," I said, and her eyes softened.

"I'll bring him out honey, but I need you and him to come with me first," She said and led us back behind the desk, to a small area with chairs and glass facing a setup identical on the other side. She sat us down and then left us, and I heard a lot of screaming and name calling as she walked down the cells.

We waited while she went to get him, and Chief Swan appeared in the doorway.

"Hey there Jake, Matt," He said. "What are you two doing in here?"

"I'm going to speak with my father," I said, and he nodded sympathetically.

"Well, if you two ever need something, don't hesitate to come to me," He said before walking out. Just in time to. I turned to face the glass just as Sgt. Swells brought my father through the room and sat him down.

He'd changed so much in the amount of time that he'd been in the jail. He was skinnier than he should have been, his hair, which used to only have small amounts of gray in it, was now completely gray. He wasn't looking up though the window, and he didn't touch the phone either, so the Sargent picked the phone up and forced it to his ear.

I picked up the phone and heard her saying:

"Now, your son is trying to talk to you. The least you could do would be to listen," She said.

"Fine," He growled, and she walked back to the wall as he held the phone, looking at the counter in front of him.

"Dad," I said, and he cringed at my voice. I wondered why.

"Matt," He said, and I heard his voice break.

"Dad, what's wrong?" I asked, concerned. He may have hit me, but he was still my father.

"I'm sorry son. It's been a long time since I've talked to any family. It's awful in here too," He said, and then he looked up at me.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you," He said, and then his eyes flickered over to Jake, who rubbed my shoulder in encouragement. He looked back at me. "So... is this your... boyfriend?" He asked, and I could tell that he did it with difficulty. But it was a start. He wasn't screaming or making a big scene. He was trying to be civil and accepting, however slight.

"Yes. Dad, this is Jacob Black. Jake, this is my dad Harold," I said. I saw Jake nod out of the corner of my eye, and I saw dad nod back at him.

"I really am sorry son. I've had a lot of time to think in here," He said.

"Dad, it's fine. That's what I came here for. To tell you that I forgive you," I said, and I saw his eyes soften, and I heard his voice crack and I saw tears well up in his eyes.

"Really?" He asked. I nodded, and he dropped the phone. He buried his face in his hands and I saw him cry for the second time. Finally, after a long time, he picked up the phone again.

"How long is the sentence?" I asked, and he sighed.

"I've got another five years on my hands," He said.

"I'm sorry dad. I'll try to come by to see you as often as I can," I said, and I knew that my words were true.

"Thanks son... I... I love you," He said after a few moments.

"I love you too dad," I said, then we hung up the phone and I watched as the Sargent took my dad back into the jail. I walked out of the jail and locked my arms around Jacob's waist and leaned against him.

"Thank you," I said, and he nodded, then kissed my forehead.

"That was brave of you," He said, and I kissed him back.

"Thanks," I said again.

"I love you," Jacob said, and I could hear the adoration in his voice.

"I love you too," I said.


	9. Like A Lifetime

The rest of that week went by fast. I spent as much time with my Jacob as I could, even though we never got any alone time. Sam had us running patrols again after the newborn invasion, even though Alice assured us that everything was fine. I was glad to know that the little newborn that had given herself up had been allowed to live. She was struggling a little with the 'vegetarian' style of living that the Cullen's lead, but Edward had assured us that that was perfectly normal.

As patrols decreased after that first week or so, and in the time that I wasn't home, on patrol, or being with Jake, I'd begun spending time with Seth going over to see Bella and Edward. That suddenly came to a stop one day though when Jake and I received a wedding invitation for Bella and Edward. Jake was furious. I tried to calm him down. After all, it was her choice, and he had no right to tell her no, but he wouldn't listen. We were in his house and he nearly tore the door off his hinges as he ran out, phasing the moment he exited the premises. I sighed and walked out, taking off my shorts as I went and phasing.

I took a moment to howl, as I only felt myself and Jake, to let the others know that we had something to discuss. I felt Sam seconds later, pressing into my mind to figure out what was going on.

_We just got Bella and Edward's wedding invitation,_ I said, and I heard him give the equivalent of a mental sigh.

_He's freaking out over that?_ Sam asked, and I realized that he must have already known about the wedding.

_Yeah, he's irritating me,_ I said, giving a wolfy laugh as I caught him up.

_I can hear you ya know!_ Jake snarled at me.

_So sorry,_ I said sarcastically and he gave me the wolf look equivalent of "shut up or you die", to which I gave him my signature "I'm your Imprint, you wouldn't hurt me," look.

Soon, when we reached the usual meeting area in the woods, quickly met by Sam, then I felt the others phasing too, and they reached us as well.

_We can't let this happen!_ Jacob said, outraged. I rolled my eyes, and gave Sam my best "make him stop" look.

_It's her own choice,_ Sam said. _She knew what she was getting into when she started in this relationship with Edward._

_But our job is to protect human-kind! Letting her marry that leech, we may as well sign her death certificate! He'll have changed her within the first month!_ Jacob raged.

_Enough. This is none of our business. We have no say in whether or not love should be allowed or not._ Sam said.

_Whatever,_ Jacob said, turning around from the rest of us.

_Where do you think you're going?_ Sam asked.

_Well, I'm obviously not getting any support here. Think I'll go on my own for a while,_ He said.

I was stung. He was going to leave. On his own. That meant he would be leaving me behind.

_You would turn your back on us? Your brothers? Your Imprint, too?_ Sam asked. I was glad that he had brought me up, even though I wouldn't have had the courage to have done it.

_I..._That brought him up short. He obviously didn't want to leave me. I could tell in his thoughts. And you can't lie when you're a wolf. It's basically impossible.

_Jacob. Think about this for a second. Saying that Bella and Edward can't marry is like saying that you and I couldn't – _I started to say, but he cut me off.

_Are you seriously thinking about _us _getting married? _He laughed, and I was suddenly in a lot of pain. I knew he loved me, but he didn't want marriage. I was very hurt. First leaving me, now no marriage? I felt tears in my eyes, and I felt the pack cringe in recognition of my pain. Everyone knew the pain of Sam's rejection of Leah. Could the pack handle another one?

_But I... _I started. But then I turned, and my paws shot out from under me as I took off.

_Matt, no, that isn't what I meant!_ Jacob shouted after me, and I heard him start running, but I felt something. Truth. He didn't really mean that. But somebody was stopping him from coming after me. Seth and Paul. They'd gotten in his way. I felt someone running after me. Leah.

_Matt..._ She said.

_Stop. I just need some time to myself_. I said.

_He's just confused as to why we're not doing anything about this wedding thing._ She aid.

_Kinda figured._

_Look, come back. Let him explain himself._

_What's there to explain?_

_He loves you. Can't you see that?_

_Not at the moment._

_He just said it like that because of the fact that we're dealing with a marriage between a leech and a human. The marriage that you two are talking about is just one between to humans._

_I just don't know._

_Trust me. Come on back. _She nuzzled me, and I looked at her.

_Thanks._

_You're welcome, little cousin._

We ran back to the clearing, but when we got there, Jacob was gone.

_Where's Jacob?_ I asked. Nobody answered me.

_Where is he?_ I asked, and this time, my wolf whined.

_He ran off._ Sam said. Something in me jolted, and I felt the pack cringe away from me and my pain.

I howled, and my feet flew out from under me as I started running. I could smell his scent, and it was heading... towards his house.

I barreled down the path, hesitating only when I came out near the road, and then when the coast was clear, I flew across the road, and phased to my human self. I cautiously opened the front door and found Billy sitting in the kitchen, an eyebrow raised and his lips forming an exasperated smirk.

"His room," He whispered. I nodded my thanks and made my way slowly down the hall.

I heard him throw something and it smacked the wall. I opened the door carefully and stood there while he faced away from me, his body shivering with anger.

"What?" He asked through his teeth. He was trying his best to keep calm.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, and he whirled around, his eyes wide, his mouth forming a small 'o'.

"You're sorry? No. I'm the one that should be sorry. That was a jerk thing to do,"

"I shouldn't have said anything about marriage,"

"No, you were right. I have no right to stand in the way of love. Like you said, it's the same, as if you and I were to get married,"

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah,"

"So... umm, what did you throw at the wall?" I asked.

"Oh, right, that. I was trying to find something," He said.

"What? I can help,"

"Oh, nothing. I can't even remember now," He smiled.

"Could I have a pair of shorts?" I asked.

"I don't think that's going to happen," He said, and his eyes dipped down to my waist and then back up to my eyes. I smiled.

"Come on then," I said and stuck my tongue out at him.

"With pleasure," He said, before picking me up and dropping me on the bed.

XXX

Within the next month, I was shopping with Jacob to find a suit to wear to Bella and Edward's wedding. He told me I looked good in every suit, even the one with the light pink tie.

"You know, maybe I should've brought Seth or Leah. At least they would have given me a straight answer," I stuck my tongue out at him.

"But you look gorgeous in everything that you wear," He said.

"Oh whatever. Go get a clerk would you? Maybe one of them will be of assistance,"

Finally, after two hours of shopping, I was settled with a black and white suit, complete with a ocean-blue vest and tie.

"Do you have one like this, except with a darker blue?" I asked the associate as I came out of the dressing room.

"We have one like that in navy. Will that be OK?" She asked.

"Yes, please," I said, before turning to Jacob. "You're getting the Navy whether you like it or not," I laughed.

"Whatever you say, pup," He said before leaning down to give me a small kiss.

The clerk cleared her throat and we broke apart quickly, and I was positive that I was now the color of a tomato.

Jake bought the suits and then we headed out for some lunch. I was surprised when Jake pulled us into the parking lot of Saruka's, the Chinese restaurant that he'd taken me to on our first date.

"Saruka's? After you just spent a good five hundred for these suits?"

"Nothing but the best for you love," He said.

I smiled as we walked into the restaurant. I was surprised to see that the hostess was the same little old lady from my first time here, and she must've remembered us because she took us to the same booth, and then asked if we wanted the lobster like the last time.

We nodded our consent and as we waited, I reached across the table and held his hand.

"I can't believe we've been together for only two months. It seems like a life time to me," I smiled

"Doesn't it though?" He asked, and I rubbed my thumb over his fingers.

When the waitress brought out our food and disappeared behind the counter, we dug in and were finished within minutes.

"That was great," I said, patting my stomach.

"Glad you thought so," He said.

"Are you OK?" I asked, and I reached over to smooth his hair down.

"Yeah, just nervous,"

"About what?" I asked, and he shrugged.

The waitress brought the check and took away our plates. When she came to get the check, she gave us our fortune cookies.

I reached over and wondered why it felt heavier than normal as I broke the little cookie.

I gasped as something silver dropped from the cookie wrapped up in the fortune. I picked it up from the table top and unraveled the fortune. It said:

_Will you marry me?_

I looked at the silver circle, a small ring with a single diamond, and silver twisted around so that it looked like a flower.

I felt my eyes sting with tears and I looked up to find Jacob smiling ear to ear at me, dropped onto one knee, and his fingers taking the small ring from me.

"Matthew Rich Clearwater, these past few months with you have been amazing. We've had our ups and our downs, but I love you, no matter what. Will you marry me and make me the most happiest man on this planet?" He asked.

I couldn't speak. Tears flowed down my face and I nodded, smiling so big that my cheeks were hurting. He gently pressed the ring onto my finger, and kissed me breathless.

He paid for the meal and grabbed my hand, pulling me to the bike, which he had exchanged the car with when we took the suits home. I jumped on the back, and grinned like a crazy person as we sped off in the direction of my house. I had to tell my mom.

XXX

"Married? But you just met!" My mom said, pressing a hand to her forehead.

"Mom, we're Imprinted. I've explained this already. You know how it works,"

"But it's just... you're so young. Are you sure?"

"Yes," I said, and she smiled.

"Well, we've got a lot of work to do then!" She said.

"Hold on, I don't want to plan this yet. Can we wait till Bella and Edward's wedding is done first?" I laughed, and she smiled.

"Just keep in mind you've still got to go through more schooling," She said.

"Please, mom, I've got one more year left," I said.

"OK. You two have a good night then," She said, and she disappeared into the kitchen.

I turned to Jacob and gave him a giant kiss, and I felt him stiffen below our waists.

"Already?" I giggled.

"You're gorgeous," He said.

"You're beautiful," I answered.

"You're insane," He said, wrapping his fingers in my hair.

"Only a little," I said, kissing his neck. "About you."

I licked a trail up his neck to his jaw, but something rang in my ears. The sound of a wolf's howl. We broke apart, and ran out of the house, phasing almost instantly.

_What's going on?_ I asked, and I felt something that I wasn't accustomed to.


	10. Quiet

**Sorry that this one is so short guys, but I thought a little bit of fluff never hurt anyone, especially after the big stuff in the beginning. :)**

XXX

I was assaulted by the awful feeling that something bad had happened. Someone was hurting, and I couldn't fight through the mental stabs of pain to see who was in trouble.

_What's going on?_ I shouted as I felt the others phase.

_Pain..._ Someone moaned in response, and I realized it was Paul.

_Paul? What's wrong?_ I shouted. Only one thing could have upset him like that. Something must have happened to Seth.

_What happened?_ I shouted.

Pictures flooded our minds as Paul let his emotions out. Something had happened, Seth was hurt badly. I saw a few fleeting images of the faces of the two guys that had come after me my first day after school.

_No..._ I said, and I felt my body shake. My limbs rolled as I poured on the speed, leaving Jacob behind in my wake.

I was the first to reach them. Seth had phased back to human, and I saw Paul crouched low next to him, whining pitifully. His left forearm was broken, the bone sticking out. Seth was out cold, blood pouring from his head and arms, and I saw that his bones were out of place, but not out of the skin. I phased back quickly, gave a fleeting glance towards Paul, who nodded, and I bent to examine him.

I gingerly touched his head, carefully moving his hair out of the way to see, but it wasn't a deep wound, just a long one that stretched from one temple to the other.

I reached down to look at his arms, and saw that they were already mending thanks to the wolf, but it was too fast. They weren't growing right. At this rate, they would have to be re-broken.

I looked around as the others filled the clearing, and I whispered:

"I'm sorry,"

I reached down and quickly shoved the bones back out and then into the correct positions and I didn't have to be a wolf to feel the jolt of pain that the pack felt. There was a snarl to my right as Paul wanted to protect Seth from further pain, but I gave him a murderous glare and he stopped. I stood and phased, my mind assaulted by the others.

_How is he? …Is he OK? ...Dear God..._

_He's fine. The blood from his head is a shallow cut, but it's long. It was already healing. As for his arms... well they were broken, but mending too quickly. If I hadn't re-broken them it would have been worse._ That was when I passed out.

XXX

I woke up in the safety of my room, and I felt a warm bodies next to me: Jacob. I looked around, and saw Seth on the bed, out cold. Jake was up, quietly brushing the hair off my forehead.

"You were so brave," He said.

"I just had to help. He's my cousin. I love him," I said.

"I know." He whispered, and kissed my forehead.

I moved my head so that his lips connected with mine, and I shuddered as his tongue lightly licked across my bottom lip.

Jake moved just enough so that I rolled closer in to him and he started to deepen the kiss, but I pressed my palm against his chest.

"Not in the same room as Seth," I whispered, and he chuckled.

"Later then," He said, and I sat up and yawned a bit. I looked at the clock and realized that it was only eight at night.

"I guess I'd better check on him. Would you mind going downstairs and ordering some pizza?" I asked.

"Four extra larges right?" He laughed and I smiled.

"Yes. Also call Paul and have him come over. I'm sure he's out of his mind,"

He went out of the room and I stood up. I stretched awkwardly and then walked over to Seth, bending down so that I was crouched in front of him.

"Seth?" I asked, and he grunted in his sleep. "Seth, you need to wake up," I said, and gently nudged his shoulder.

"What?" He asked exasperatedly and I smiled at him.

"How're you feeling?" I asked, feeling his forehead.

"Fine, why?" He asked.

"Just wanted to make sure that you were all healed-up from earlier," I said.

"What about earlier?" He asked.

"Wait. Seth, do you remember what happened?" I asked, and his eyebrows creased. He sat up and frowned.

"What do you mean? All I remember is walking down to the beach with Paul and then waking up here?"

"Seth, you got attacked," I said quietly.

"What? Is Paul OK?" He started.

"Yes, sweetie, he's fine. You got cut across the head, and your arms were broken. I guess you forgot a little bit of your memory too," I said, patting his hand.

"But... who was it?" He asked.

"Remember those guys that beat me up my first day? Them," I said, and I saw his eyes widen.

"Is Paul coming?"

"Yes, I sent Jake to order pizza and call Paul here,"

"Good. I'm starving," He said.

"So, you won't believe what happened to me today," I told him, and he raised an eyebrow at me.

"Oh really?"

"Jake proposed!" I said, and I thought Seth was going to go through the roof. He jumped up, pulling me into a huge hug.

"Where's the ring?" He asked, and I showed it to him.

"Oh my God it's gorgeous!" He said, and I giggled.

"I know! He was so creative with it too. He took us to the Chinese restaurant that we went to on our first date, and he had them put the ring into a fortune cookie with a fortune that said 'will you marry me?' on it. I was dumbfounded!"

"Oh this is great!" He screamed in delight and I laughed.

"What are you two up here yelling about?" Jake asked as he walked in the room.

"The fact that you were Mr. Romantic and proposed to me," I said, and he smiled.

"You won't be a Clearwater for much longer!" Seth gasped, and then we looked at each other.

"Matthew Rich Clearwater Black," We said at the same time.

I smiled hugely and kissed Jake once on the cheek before the bell rang.

"That'll be Paul," Jake said. "The pizza guy said it would be a twenty minute wait,"

"I'll go let him in," I said, but there was no point. I had just left the room when I face-planted into Paul's chest.

"Oh, hello Paul," I said, but he slightly pushed me out of the way and ran straight to Seth.

"Awe," Jake said as he joined me.

"Let's give those two some alone time," I said, pulling the door closed.

XXX

About thirty, rather than twenty, minute later, the pizza man showed up, and when we opened the door, I saw why. It was pouring cats and dogs out there. Jacob paid the man while I sat the pizza boxes on the kitchen counter and yelled for Seth and Paul, who both came down the stairs clad only in cut-offs.

"Having a good time?" I asked, noticing Paul's sudden case of bed-head.

"Shut up," Paul said, grabbing a pizza box.

"Yes," Seth whispered to me, and I gave him a wink.

We each had our own extra large supreme, and while we were eating, Seth told Paul about the engagement.

"Awe, that's so sweet," Paul said, sticking his tongue out at Jake. "I never pegged you as the romantic one in the relationship Jacob,"

"Can it Paul. I just wanted to," He replied.

"Let's see the ring then," Paul said, and I showed it to him. His eyes lit up and then he looked at Jacob.

"Wow, really?" He asked, and I saw something pass between them.

"What?" I asked.

"Matt, the ring that I proposed with is the one that my dad gave my mom," Jake said. My eyes widened and slowly dipped down to the little silver circle wrapped around my ring finger.

"Really?" I asked, and my voice dropped to a whisper.

"Really," Jake said, and I gingerly put the empty pizza boxes on the floor to crawl onto Jake's lap. It was a good thing we were at the couch, or it would have been awkward.

"Now who's the cute ones?" Seth joked, and I heard Paul snort.

"Quiet," I said, and I kissed Jacob until I couldn't breath any more.


	11. Life And Justice

Bella and Edward had a gorgeous wedding; but then again, Alice was in charge of the entire event, so I knew it would have been. Edward's 'family' from Alaska came in for it, Tanya, Kate, Irina, and Eleazar. They were like the Cullen's, with their golden eyes and vegetarian style. Seth, Paul, Sue, and Billy came with us to the wedding, and although Jake was a bit uncomfortable around all of the vampires, he was glad to be there for Bella. My mom had actually gone out for the weekend with my aunt, and she wasn't due back till Monday.

The wedding went without a hitch, and the reception was great. We all got to dance with the bride, and I shared a dance with Jake.

"I'm so happy for you," I said.

"Thank you," Bella said, her face a giant grin. She hadn't stopped smiling since she got to the alter with Edward.

"Well, I hate to interrupt, but I think it's my turn to steal her away," Jacob said, giving me a small kiss on the cheek. "After all, I am your best man," He chuckled and they danced away.

I took a small seat on one of the benches and rolled my head, popping the bones in my neck.

"Hello," I heard someone say, and when I looked around, I found Edward sitting next to me.

"Edward!" I said, and I reached out to grab him in a hug. "So, how does it feel to be happily married to your reason for existing?" I said, and he smiled at the use of his favorite term for Bella.

"It's exhilarating. I'm very happy," He said, and I smiled.

"So, how are things with you and Jacob?"

"Oh, absolutely wonderful! He proposed to me!" I said, and his eyes flashed knowingly. But of course he already knew, it had been on my mind since he'd done it.

"Congratulations!" He said, and I smiled.

"So, what are you and Bella doing for the honeymoon?" I asked curiously, and I saw his face darken a bit.

"We're going to an island off of the coast of Brazil, but she doesn't know it. All she knows is that we're going to try..." He trailed off, and I thought for a few moments before I realized what he was talking about.

"Oh," I said, and I saw his face darken even more.

"I know, you think I'm a monster," He said.

"No, I don't actually. I think you're very sweet for doing that for her,"

"Really?"

"Yes. Now go dance with your bride, Mr. Cullen. I'd like to dance with my fiancé," I laughed.

A few moments later, Jacob was standing in front of me, his hand held out.

"May I have this dance, Mr. Clearwater?" He asked.

"Only if you promise to never call me Mr. Clearwater again," I laughed and took his hand.

I placed one hand on his shoulder and the other in his hand, while he placed his other on my hip. I laid my head on his shoulder, and we slowly swayed back and forth to the music.

"I love you," He whispered into my ear, and I smiled before replying.

"I love you too. With all my heart,"

XXX

A few weeks passed by and I was over at Jake's house when Charlie came over. It was a surprise visit, because he hadn't called Billy to let him know that he was coming over, but we welcomed him all the same.

"So Bella and Edward came home yesterday," He said as we sat around the table, Jake handing him and Billy a beer, and giving me a Coke.

"Really? Did they have a good time on their honeymoon?" I asked.

"Well, that's the problem. Apparently there's something wrong with Bella. She's sick, got some kind of disease in South America," Charlie said, and I felt Jacob go rigid next to me. I knew what that meant. Jake had told me; Bella wanted to become immortal. So that would be how they would go about it then? Pretend she has some awful disease until she's in control then 'bury' her?

"Is she going to be OK?" Billy asked.

"I'm not so sure. She sounded awful on the phone,"

"Is she accepting visitors?" I wondered.

"No, Carlisle has everyone under house arrest. Lucky for her, her father-in-law is a doctor,"

"Thanks for telling us, Charlie," Billy said, right as Jake stood up.

"What're you two up to today?" He asked, and I shrugged.

"I think he had something planned over at Sam's today," I said, and Billy nodded.

"What do you think about catching the game Charlie?" Billy said as I followed Jacob out of the kitchen.

"We need to do something," Jacob said.

"Jake." I said, and he heard the steeliness in my voice.

"What?"

"Remember the last time you wanted to do something that would get in the way of love?" I asked, and he sighed.

"Fine, but we should head over there and see how she is,"

"Agreed,"

XXX

Five minutes later, we were pulling into the Cullen's drive on the bike. When we walked towards the door, I stopped and looked at him.

"Should we knock?" I asked, before the door opened, revealing Edward.

"Hello," He said, and I was surprised by the pitch black color of his eyes.

"Edward? Is everything OK?" I asked, and his eyes narrowed.

"Not really," He said, and I felt Jake tense up next to me.

"What happened?" I asked, and he sighed.

"It's really none of your business," He said, but I heard a voice from inside. It was Bella, but her voice sounded so strangled and in pain, it made me want to cry.

"Edward, let them in. Please? They're two of my closest friends,"

He sighed again and opened the door, turning into the house and leaving the door open for us.

I walked in like the last I'd been here was yesterday. I entered the living room, looking for Bella, and I found her, lying on the couch, but her face looked strained, devoid of nourishment.

"Oh God. Bella?" I asked, and she grimaced at me.

"Hi Matt. Jake," She said, and she twisted around to get comfortable.

"Bella... What happened?" Jake asked, moving around to stand next to me.

"Well..." She said, and then looked at Rosalie, who I just noticed was standing over her like some kind of body guard. Rosalie nodded and she raised her arms, and Rosalie put her hands under Bella's armpits and gently raised her up. The blanket she was wrapped in fell to the floor, and what I saw caused my eyes to widen.

Bella's stomach was huge and swollen, as though she'd been pregnant for months. But that wasn't possible. She'd only been gone for two weeks for the honeymoon. That was insane!

"Holy..." Jake whispered next to me. "Bella. What...?"

"I'm pregnant Jake," She said, patting her stomach.

"Wait. You mean to tell me that you... did the deed with your vampire? While you're still human? That's awful Bella!"

"No. It's wonderful. It's what we never thought could happen," She said, and I could hear the defense in her voice.

"Bella, it's killing you. I can see that," I said, and she cringed.

"No. He's just stronger than I am," She protested.

"So it's a boy. Should've grabbed some blue balloons," Jacob said, and she smiled.

"We don't know for sure. The placenta is too thick for the ultrasound to see through,"

"Why do you look so bad though?" I asked, and I saw her grimace.

"The baby rejects all form of nutrition, and I don't know why," She said.

The room fell silent, my mind racing in a million different directions.

"Jacob just had an interesting thought," Edward said a moment later, breaking the silence looming in the room.

"I did?" He asked.

"Yes. Carlisle, what if we've been giving Bella the wrong thing? What if the... baby is more like us than it is human?" He asked, and I heard him struggle to say the word 'baby'.

"You mean it's thirsty," I said, realizing what he meant.

"Yes. Exactly," Edward said.

"Carlisle, we have all that blood saved away for Bella for when she gets changed. Why don't we try?" Esme encouraged, a small smile on her face. She was ready to save any member of her family no matter what.

"Yes. Do you want to try this Bella?" He asked.

I saw her face light up. She was determined to save herself and the baby. But would she be strong enough?

"I'll do anything," She said.

"I'll be back before you can ask me where I am," Carlisle said, and then disappeared down the hallway. He was back in ten seconds; I counted.

"No Carlisle, not clear. Styrofoam. And a straw," Edward said, and five seconds later, Bella had a little white cup in her hand.

We all held our breath as she placed the straw to her lips and sucked the dark fluid up into her mouth. I heard her swallow and sigh. But it was one of pleasure.

"It tastes... good," She said. We all breathed out of relief, and she went back to her cup. She had it drained in less that five minutes.

"Very good Bella!" Rosalie said. I slightly agreed with her. The color was already returning to her face.

"More?" She asked, but Carlisle shook his head.

"We need to wait to make sure that you can keep it down," He said.

"This is insanity," Jake said, shaking his head.

"Come on Jake. We need to go," I said, and then looked between Bella, Edward, and Alice, who was keeping her distance from her best friend. "Keep us posted," I said, and then I grabbed Jacobs hand.

We went out the door, and got on the bike. As we were riding down the road back to the reservation, we passed by something that made me slap Jake's back and pull us over. As we got off, I pointed across the road, where the guys that I remembered beating me up and then I saw again in Paul's mind, were lounging about drinking beers.

"I've got this," I said to Jacob, and I very quickly and quietly walked over to them.

"Hey, it's the Clearwater fag. Where's your boyfriend? Not here to save you?" The one on the right said.

"Oh, no, he's here. I just have something I need to clear up," I said, pointedly ignoring the word 'fag'.

"And what's that?" The one on the left said, standing up.

"I found Seth, my cousin, you know, the one who's arms you broke? I just came to give you a warning. If you come near my family or friends ever again, I won't hesitate to get revenge."

I could see the laughter in their eyes. Unlike the rest of the pack, I wasn't nearly as tall or large as them. My strength did still pack a punch however.

"Really now. Interesting," The one that was standing said. He looked over his shoulder as the one on the right stood up, and then twirled around, his fist flying through the air.

I ducked the fist and then grabbed his arm, holding him in an awkward position before reaching up and kicking him towards the other. They fell over themselves and then got up looking angry.

"What did I tell you?" I asked, and then sighed as the other one launched himself at me. I brought a fist up and smashed it into his nose, and I gave a satisfied chuckle when I felt the cartilage break.

Blood started pouring a few moments later, and the other one glared at me and smashed his beer bottle on the ground, bringing up the ragged end and holding it towards me.

"Bring it," I said, raising an eyebrow. He charged, but I twisted around the bottle before shoving my knee up and into his crotch.

He let out a mixture between a gasp and a whine, dropped the bottle, and fell to his knees.

"Now, I reiterate. Leave me, my family, and my friends alone, or you'll deeply regret it," I said. I walked back to Jacob, who was grinning from ear to ear, gave him a kiss, and got on the bike.

"Let's go home please?" I said, and wrapped my arms around his midsection.


	12. Forever Love

The rest of the week flew by and Jake and I had decided to go see Bella again the following Saturday. We pulled up outside the house and were greeted by Alice smiling at us.

"Hello you two!" She said, and I smiled at her.

"Hi Alice. How's Bella?"

"She's fine. Edward thought the baby might have cracked her pelvis, but she's fine. Care to come in?"

"Sure," I grabbed Jacob's hand and followed her in, and we saw Bella, looking more healthy than I'd seen her in a while, and still clutching her little cup. She was standing behind the couch and looking at the both of us.

"Hey Matt! Hi Jacob," She said, and gave us a large smile.

"Hey Bells, how are you?" Jake asked, and I felt a tiny pang of jealousy. I remembered Seth telling me that before he imprinted on me, he'd been obsessed with Bella.

"Good thanks. Much better. Actually, Carlisle says that I've got a good chance of surviving this," She said, and I saw her give a small smile, more to herself than anyone else.

"Great," I said, and she moved to bring the small cup up to her mouth, but it slipped. Rosalie immediately reached out to grab it, but Bella, out of habit, reached down to catch it.

I heard something that made my entire body shake and tremble. Bella's back snapped and she slowly fell, her head racing towards the floor.

"No!" Edward gasped, flying forward to catch her.

"The placenta must have detached!" Carlisle shouted. "Edward, to the operating room!" He commanded as Edward picked her up into his arms.

Things happened very quickly. I found Jacob and myself up in the same room as Edward, Carlisle, and Bella, who had begun to scream.

"He can't breathe! Get him out!" She shouted.

"There's not enough time to get the baby out like a regular birth!" I said, and I saw both of the vampires glaring up at me. "WORK!" I shouted, and their heads snapped down to Bella. Carlisle raised a knife and sliced through Bella's skin, and I heard a cry shoot through the room.

"Edward! You've got to turn her! Do it now!" I cried, and he started biting her. I heard her heart falter, and my instincts kicked in.

I jumped over and started CPR on her. Twenty compressions, check for breathing or a pulse, twenty compressions, check for breathing or a pulse.

"Matt! Move your hands!" Edward commanded, and I moved them while checking for vitals. I watched as he slammed a big syringe into her heart.

"What is that?" I gasped as he removed it and I resumed pumping.

"My venom," He said, and then a baby's cry filled the room, and Bella spoke.

"What?" She whispered.

"Renesmee," Edward said. "It's a girl. Renesmee,"

"Let me see her," She said, and Edward didn't hand her over, but Bella saw her anyway.

"So beautiful," She said, before passing out.

I heard her scream then, and I knew that the venom had started running it's course, but instead of continuing to scream, she fell silent.

XXX

Jacob and I stayed at the Cullen house for nearly two days. We'd made a trip to our houses to get a change of clothes, food, and shower, and then went back. Mostly it was me. I wanted to make sure that Bella was going to be OK. That and the baby had us all wrapped around her fingers.

She was special that's for sure. She could show you what she was thinking about through her palms.

I was holding her on the second day, and she reached up to touch my face. I leaned down and she showed me a small picture. It was Bella's face before she'd passed out, and coupled with it was the feeling of longing.

"She's fine Renesmee," I said, and smiled down at her. "She just needs time to recover." As I said that, I heard something. I looked at Jacob, who looked at me and then at Edward. Bella's heart. It thudded to a stop and then took off faster than it should have. It was on the verge of exploding, but then, it thundered to a stop. It thumped once more and then ceased to beat.

Edward and the other vampires took off up the stairs, leaving me and Jacob with the baby.

"What about us?" I called, and Edward appeared again.

"Keep her down here. We'll be back soon," Then he vanished back up the stairs.

I held Renesmee for a few more minutes before I passed her off to Jacob. Alice told me that we were natural parents, even though the baby wasn't ours. We'd held her more than anyone else except for Edward, but that was expected.

About twenty minutes later, everyone came down the stairs except for Edward and Bella, who Alice told us had gone out to hunt. Jacob passed Renesmee over to Rosalie, who was second behind Edward, and we waited. About an hour later, they appeared. Bella was stunning. Her skin was pale as paper, but not see-through, her hair shinier, and her eyes a brilliant crimson.

"How long on the eyes?" I asked Carlisle as they approached.

"Oh, about two or three months," He said.

I nodded, and then Rosalie handed me the baby. When they got closer, Carlisle had us line up a bit informally, with me holding Renesmee in the back. It was just a precaution, but I knew that Bella wouldn't hurt her.

"Where is she?" Bella asked timidly, and I was caught off guard by the tone of her voice. Instead of being rough and gravelly like it used to be, it was high and clear, and sounded like bells.

"Back here," I called, and I saw her smile a bit. She took a step forward, and Jasper and Emmet lurched forward themselves.

"Honestly, relax. She just wants to see her daughter," Alice chided. They relaxed and stepped aside. Bella walked very slowly and pointedly towards me and Renesmee, who had now pushed herself into a sitting position in my arms.

She pushed a hand towards my face, and compared the two faces she knew. Bella's old face, and Bella's new face.

"Yes, that's her," I said, and she leaned away from me, pulling her hands out towards Bella.

"Is she ready?" Rosalie asked Carlisle, who nodded.

I gently held Renesmee out to Bella, who grabbed her gently and fit her perfectly into her arms.

They were made for one another, and I smiled.

XXX

Almost a year had passed since then. Jacob and I regularly went over to see Renesmee and the other Cullen's, as Bella and Edward asked us to be godfathers. The school year went by fast for me, and when I graduated, it was a wonderful feeling. Now, I was in the midst of talking about marriage plans with my mother and she had referred me to Esme and Alice, who agreed to help me make a beautiful marriage for Jake and I.

When Alice asked where I wanted our marriage to be, I told her to surprise me. But Jacob must have gone back and told her differently, because it was the day of the wedding rehearsal, and as Jacob drove us to the location, we started heading towards the mountains.

"Mountains? In the Summer? Gorgeous," I said, and smiled to myself.

"Thought you'd like it," He said, putting one hand in mine and keeping the other on the steering wheel.

The rehearsal was wonderful, all of the toasts and speeches were beautiful, and then Jacob said a speech, which he would only later tell me that he thought he'd made a fool of himself with.

"I never thought that I would find someone so perfect, so beautiful, so amazing, as Matt. And here I am, about to marry him. Matt, aside from being my fiancé and my partner, you are my life, and my soul mate. I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful person to be mine for the rest of my life," He said, and I blushed deeply. The suit that I was wearing, a white thing with a cream colored tie and vest, only made my blush stand out that much more. Jacob wasn't that bad, as he was wearing the standard black suit.

I made my toast, more or less covering the same points as Jacob, but I wasn't embarrassed by mine.

I kissed Jacob, and said goodbye and goodnight as Seth loaded me, his mom, my mom, and Leah into their car. We were going all traditional here, and I wouldn't see Jacob until he stood waiting for me at the altar.

The next morning was insanity. Everyone was running around, able to do something but me.

"It's your big day. You're not doing a single thing," My mom told me, and I sighed.

I decided to do some reading while I waited, making it through a couple of chapters of an old copy of _The Scarlet Letter_. Finally, after what seemed like ages, my mom stuck her head in the doorway.

"All right you. We're ready to go. You'll change on sight. There are a few cabins for everyone to change in," She said, and she smiled at me. As I stood though, something was wrong with my tummy. I was exceptionally nervous.

"You have any Pepto Bismal? My stomach is nothing but nerves right now," I said, and she smiled at me. She reached into her pocket book and flipped me some Tums.

We reached the cabin about thirty minutes later and mom ushered me in and into a small bedroom by myself.

I quickly undressed and found my suit, which mom had hung on the bedroom door. I dressed, and looked at myself in the mirror. I brushed my hair back and smiled. I didn't look half bad, if I said so myself.

There was a light knock on my door, and I jumped a bit.

"Come in," I called, and when I turned around, I found my father, dressed in a black suit, standing there, smiling at me.

"Dad?" I asked, and I felt my eyes sting as tears welled up behind my eyes. I blinked hard, trying to hold them back, but they started spilling anyway.

"Hey there kiddo. Don't cry, Alice is gonna have a hard enough time buffing you up anyway," He said, and I laughed at his sarcasm.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, smiling.

"Well, I just got out of prison last night, and when I got to Sue's your mom told me that you were getting married. So I thought what better way to make it up to you than to come and walk you down the aisle?" He said, and I thought I was going to break down for a second.

I reached out and grabbed him into a hug.

"You got out early!" I finally realized.

"Yeah, on a count of good behavior," He said, smiling at me.

"Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Clearwater, but I need to get some small bits of makeup on him," Alice said, smiling.

"Oh come on Alice. Makeup?" I asked, and she shrugged.

"I've gotta cover up those tear tracks," She said, breaking out a small powder puff, and dabbing a small bit on my cheeks.

"There. Now, we start in five. Let's go put on a wedding!" She called, dancing down the hall.

I grabbed my dad's hand, and we walked into the rest of the cabin, where I found most of the wedding procession. Billy was Jacob's best man, and he was being wheeled along by my maid of honor, Leah. Then came Seth with Sue, Embry with my mom, and lastly, Quil with Emily. I had Claire as a flower girl, and we'd asked for Leah and Billy to hold the rings rather than a ring boy.

The wedding march started, and slowly, the procession took off. Finally, Claire walked out of the cabin, slowly letting flowers drift down. I waited for ten paces, and then took off as Alice instructed, holding onto my dad for dear life. I was a walking bundle of nerves by then, but as soon as the air hit me, I was feeling better.

When we came into sight of the altar and the rest of the procession, I was mind blown at the sight of Jacob. He'd gotten a hair cut, since he'd let it grow out, and he'd shaved. I felt my mouth drop into a small 'o' of wonder before splitting into a giant grin.

The music increased in a crescendo as I closed the last few remaining feet between us. I faced Jacob, and in a sign as old as time itself, my dad carefully placed my hand onto Jacob's.

"I love you," he said, and I smiled.

"I love you too," I replied, and we faced Quil's grandfather, the elder that would bind us together, as was custom for our people.

The ceremony didn't take long. Quil stated some lines about how love was a beautiful thing and that our being bound to one another was our open expression about our deep love for one another. Then we said our vows, and put on the rings. We kissed, and I glanced deeply into his eyes.

"I love you. For as long as we both shall live," I said, repeating one of my vows from earlier.

"And I love you. From now till the grave," He said, quoting his vows too.

**Well, guys, that's the end of this one. I'm so glad to say that I've had over 500 hits for this, and like I stated at the beginning, this is dedicated to Matt and his family. I love you all.**

**Much love and hugs,**

**Matthew**


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